Iran weighs strikes on military targets in Europe including Bulgaria if Trump escalates
Tehran warns it could widen the conflict if Donald Trump orders strikes on Iranian infrastructure; potential targets include Bulgaria's Bezmer air base and assets in Cyprus.
Iran is weighing strikes on military targets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalates the war, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Iranian forces are assessing possible attacks on American assets in southeastern Europe, including Bulgaria, which last month (July 2026) approved the use of its Bezmer air base for refuelling US aircraft, the sources said.
Potential targets and tactics under review
Cyprus — where a British air base was struck by a drone in March — has also been identified as a possible target for retaliation in the event of renewed US offensives, one source said. Iranian planners are separately considering attacks on undersea optical cables in the Strait of Hormuz if the conflict intensifies.
The sources described last month's strike on the US base in Jordan, which killed three American soldiers, as Iran's most precise long‑range strike to date and as evidence of Tehran's ability to hit targets farther afield. "This was also a message to Europe: they could be the target of missiles, so they need to know where they stand in this war. A very big mistake, like the attack on our infrastructure, could cause the war to spread from the region into Europe," one of the sources said.
Military analysts told the sources that Iran could target US facilities in southern and southeastern Europe with medium‑range ballistic missiles, but questioned Tehran's accuracy and stocks of longer‑range missiles. The recent promotion of hardliners into senior security and military positions in Iran has also increased expectations in Tehran of a renewed conflict.
Speaking about Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran's chief negotiator, and Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's senior security official, a second source said Iran "is sending a clear message that if you do not reach a deal with Ghalibaf, you will have to deal with Rezaei." "The message is: 'Don't be angry, because I am angrier than you.'"
Iran has not publicly confirmed the alleged plans. Talks about reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled, and Trump said there are no scheduled talks with Tehran.
Photo: press material from the event
