Iran is actively planning strikes on American military infrastructure in Europe, with Cyprus and Bulgaria identified as ...

Iran is actively planning strikes on American military infrastructure in Europe, with Cyprus and Bulgaria identified as specific targets, according to a Financial Times report citing sources close to the Iranian regime. Bulgarian air base Bezmer is in the crosshairs after Sofia recently authorized US refueling aircraft to operate from the facility, raising its strategic value for Washington. Cyprus was also assessed as a potential target due to the British military installations there, including the RAF Akrotiri base, which was already targeted by an Iranian drone strike earlier this year. The IRGC and other Iranian military commanders have signaled that any new full-scale conflict would push Iran beyond its previous strategy of hitting targets only in the Middle East. A source told the FT that Tehran is developing options to widen the conflict "if Trump follows through on earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure in response to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz." Iran has already demonstrated the capability to hit distant targets. Earlier this year, Washington accused Tehran of firing missiles at the joint US-British Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, roughly 4,000 kilometers away. Last month, an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan killed three American soldiers in what analysts described as Tehran's most precise long-range strike to date. Siddharth Kaushal of the Royal United Services Institute described the threat as "real but limited," noting that Iran could deploy medium-range ballistic missiles like the Shahab series against southern and southeastern European targets, though accuracy degrades significantly over longer distances. Douglas Barrie of the International Institute for Strategic Studies confirmed Iran holds weapons with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers, pointing to the Diego Garcia launches as evidence. A source told the FT that the Jordan strike was also a message to Europe: "It can receive missiles, so it should know where it stands in this war." Iran has stated it will place "no limits" on its response if the US escalates further. #Cyprus #Iran #EuropeanSecurity