Iran is reportedly considering expanding its conflict with the United States beyond the Middle East by targeting American military assets in southeastern Europe if President Donald Trump orders a further escalation, according to people close to the Iranian regime cited by the Financial Times.

Two regime insiders told the FT that Iranian forces have assessed potential strikes against US military assets in countries including Bulgaria. Sofia last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base by US refuelling aircraft, making American military infrastructure there a potential target in the event of a renewed offensive.

Cyprus has also reportedly been considered as a possible target. The island is home to British military facilities, including RAF Akrotiri, which was struck by a drone in March during the conflict. Western officials at the time suspected the drone was Iranian-made and launched by regional proxy forces.

The reported Iranian planning comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have stalled and tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz continue to rise. Reuters reported this week that an Iranian official warned Tehran could adopt a fully offensive military posture and launch a precise attack if efforts to resolve the standoff fail.

Iranian military commanders have reportedly warned that any renewed full-scale conflict could see Tehran expand its response beyond US and allied targets in the Middle East. According to the FT, Iranian forces have also examined the possibility of targeting subsea fibre-optic infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz.

The potential threat to Europe reflects growing concern that the conflict could spread geographically if Washington launches further attacks on Iranian infrastructure.

One regime insider reportedly told the FT that Iran would go beyond the region if the United States went too far, while warning that an attack on Iranian infrastructure could cause the war to reach Europe.

However, military analysts cited by the FT cautioned that Iran’s ability to strike targets at such distances remains limited. Research fellow Sidharth Kaushal of the Royal United Services Institute said the threat posed by Iranian missiles to southern and southeastern Europe is real but constrained by range and payload limitations.

Iran has previously demonstrated an interest in striking distant US military facilities. Washington accused Tehran of launching missiles toward the joint US-UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean earlier this year, although the missiles did not reach their target. Turkey also said in March that NATO air defences had intercepted several ballistic missiles launched from Iran.

The latest reports come amid an increasingly confrontational atmosphere in Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei recently elevated hardliners to senior security and military positions, including former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei as the country’s top security official.

Any direct Iranian strike on US military assets in Europe would represent a major expansion of the conflict and could create serious security concerns for NATO members and other European countries hosting American or allied military infrastructure.

For now, the reported plans remain assessments and contingency planning rather than evidence that Iran has decided to attack European targets. The Financial Times report is based on sources close to the Iranian regime, and there has been no confirmation that Tehran has authorised such strikes.

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