Iran’s ambassador hints at potential military targets in Europe amid conflict
Ali Bahreini stated that Iran would consider any facility used to attack it, including in Europe, a legitimate target for military action.
NATO confirmed readiness to defend member states amid escalating tensions, stating there is no indication Turkey is pursuing formal action against Iran following recent missile incidents.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that military action against neighbouring countries will only occur if provoked, amid escalating tensions in the region.
Briefing summary
Ali Bahreini, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that facilities used to attack Iran could be legitimate military targets, including locations in Europe. He emphasised Iran’s commitment to national security amid ongoing tensions.
Following the death of a French soldier in Iraq, the pro-Iranian group Ashab al-Kahf vowed to target French interests in the region, escalating the conflict’s implications for France and NATO operations in the area.
In related developments, Turkey confirmed NATO’s readiness to defend its territory against Iranian military actions, as Iranian officials denied any attacks in Turkish airspace amidst rising tensions in the region.
‘Any base could be target’: Iranian ambassador to UN does not rule out attacks on Europe
Ali Bahreini, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, left open the possibility that Tehran could strike European countries as the war is set to enter its third week.
“Let me make it clear, our military forces have announced a policy [that] any facility, any base which is used to attack Iran would be a legitimate target for our military force,” the diplomat said on EU News’ interview programme 12 Minutes With.
When asked whether this could include sites located in Europe, Bahreini responded, “We will defend our country according to what we need to make our country secure and to make sure that there is no aggression against our country.”
On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French soldier was killed in an attack in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, marking the first French military death in the Middle East war. Six other soldiers were wounded.
Without directly claiming the attack, a pro-Iranian, Shia armed group, Ashab al-Kahf, announced in a statement that it would now target “all French interests in Iraq and the region,” particularly following the arrival of a French aircraft carrier, now operating in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Separately, two days after the war started, a suspected Iranian-made drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The following day, two drones heading for the base were intercepted.
Meanwhile, Turkey, home to the US military’s Incirlik Air Base, has also been caught in the middle of the escalating war. NATO has shot down two incoming Iranian missiles in recent days.
Bahreini told EU News that Iranian officials have rejected this news about attacks in Turkish airspace. “Our president was in conversation with the Turkish president, and I think it has become quite clear to them that there has been no attack from our side on that country.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Monday that he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, telling him that the violation of Turkey’s airspace “cannot be excused for any reason whatsoever.”
In response to Iranian ballistic missiles entering Turkish airspace, NATO said it “stands ready” to defend its members’ territory. NATO sources told EU News that there is not yet any indication that Turkey is triggering formal proceedings within the alliance to initiate action against Iran.
Iran ‘not targeting Gulf States’
The Iranian diplomat strongly criticised the US-Israeli attacks on his country, stating they violate international law. He also denounced what he said were US assaults on civilian infrastructure in Iran, pointing to the strike on a primary school in Minab that Iranian officials say killed 168 people, the majority of whom were children.
The ambassador’s comments came a few days after Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to his Gulf neighbours for the strikes.
He also said that Iran’s armed forces had been instructed that “from now on they should not attack neighbouring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked from those countries.”
This statement was made before the new, hardline Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed.
Aside from the rising death toll in the countries involved, the continued war in the Middle East is having increasing economic impacts, sending oil prices skyrocketing. However, US President Donald Trump on Thursday spun the spiralling cost of oil in a Truth Social post, suggesting this would ultimately be beneficial for Americans.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s timeline and endgame for the war are murky. Earlier this week, he sent conflicting messages, first stating the war “is very complete, pretty much”, and hours later saying “it could go further (…) and we’re going to go further.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did lay out his terms for ending the war, writing on social media platform “X” that “the only way to end this war (…) is recognising Iran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression.”
For Bahreini, Iran’s goal is to “end this vicious circle of negotiating and being attacked.”
“We want to continue our defensive action to reach a point where the aggression is stopped. They should come to a new understanding that they cannot defeat Iran.”