Iran eyes US military bases in Europe as targets if war ramps up, report says
Iranian missiles are displayed in a temporary exhibition in Tehran, Iran, on July 29, 2026. Iran has considered attacking American military targets in Europe if the U.S. escalates the war, according to the Financial Times. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
American military installations in Europe could be in Iran’s crosshairs if the United States escalates the nearly six-month-old war, according to a recent news report.
U.S. bases in countries such as Bulgaria have been assessed as possible targets by Iran, two unidentified Iranian insiders told the Financial Times.
One said Tehran was preparing a plan to expand the conflict further if Trump makes good on previous threats to attack Iranian infrastructure.
Iran has separately looked at attacking subsea fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz should the fighting escalate, the publication reported Wednesday.
U.S. European Command said Wednesday that it was aware of the reporting and will take “appropriate actions.”
In March, Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean that is some 2,500 miles away. Neither missile hit the base.
Analysts who spoke with Stars and Stripes at the time said Iran’s demonstrated accuracy at that distance is poor, an assessment echoed by experts quoted by the FT. They described Iran’s present threat to Europe as “real but limited” to southern and southeastern areas of the Continent.
Bulgaria recently authorized the deployment of up to eight U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial-refueling aircraft and up to 250 U.S. military personnel at Bezmer Air Base in support of U.S. operations in the Middle East through Oct. 1.
The first two aircraft arrived at the base July 31, according to Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry.
The decision came after Romania authorized the temporary deployment of about 500 additional U.S. troops, aerial-refueling aircraft and surveillance equipment to two air bases there in support of operations related to the Iran war. U.S. tanker aircraft subsequently deployed to Romania.
NATO member Turkey, which shares a border with Iran and hosts about 1,700 permanently assigned U.S. active-duty personnel, has already been the target of Iranian fire. Turkish officials said in March that NATO air defenses had intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles.
Whether Iran would strike targets in Europe depends on Washington’s actions, the FT said.
“A very big mistake, such as hitting our infrastructure, could make the war go beyond the region and reach Europe,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
Last month, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, where wartime disruptions to shipping have contributed to a spike in oil prices.
The head of Iran’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, on Wednesday renewed a warning to Persian Gulf countries not to assist the U.S. military, saying any such help would amount to participating in operations against Iran.
It came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would not accept a ceasefire with the United States, only a deal to fully end the war.
Trump said the same day that no talks with Iran were underway and that no new discussions were scheduled.