Iran has weighed attacking US military targets in Europe should President Donald Trump escalate the war, according to people close to the regime, as Tehran considers its options to raise the stakes of the conflict. Two insiders told the FT that Iranian forces had assessed striking US assets in south-eastern European countries including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base for US refuelling. Cyprus, where a British air base was struck by a drone in March, was also among potential targets for retaliation in the event of any renewed US offensive, one regime insider said. They said separately that Iranian forces had examined attacking subsea fibre-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz in the event of an escalation. The threats reflect the defiant mood in Tehran, where many within the regime increasingly see a resumption of the war as a matter of when, not if. Negotiations to reopen the strait have stalled, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei last week elevated hardliners to top security and military posts. Trump yesterday said there were “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled” with Tehran. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates yesterday suspended trade and commercial ties with Iran after saying Tehran fired two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state and Washington said it was “deeply concerned” after Israel struck a military air base in north-western Syria. |