According to the Financial Times, Tehran is considering attacks against US military installations in Bulgaria and Cyprus in the event of a new American offensive. Possible retaliation would also include sabotage of submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington and the Islamic Republic deny the existence of ongoing negotiations.
Tehran would be evaluating possible actions against US military facilities located in Europe should Washington decide to reopen the conflict. This is reported by the Financial Timesbased on the testimonies of two people linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among the areas examined would be above all Bulgaria And CyprusCountries considered strategic due to the presence and activities of Western forces. In recent weeks, Tehran had already issued several warnings to Sofia in relation to the temporary deployment of American military aircraft on Bulgarian territory. According to the sources cited by the British newspaper, the Iranian leaders have also examined another form of retaliation: damaging the submarine fiber optic links that cross the Strait of Hormuz. Such an operation could be considered in the event of a further worsening of the crisis. Sidharth Kaushalresearcher of Royal United Services Institutedescribed Iran’s ability to strike American targets in southern and southeastern Europe as credible, if limited. Tehran could employ medium-range ballistic missiles, while operations at longer ranges would be more complex. The use of carriers with greater autonomy would in fact impose a reduction in the warhead transported and, consequently, in the destructive capacity. One of the people listened to by Financial Times he argued that, faced with the resumption of hostilities by the United States, the Iranian response would not be subject to particular restrictions. Another portrayed the attack on an American base in Jordanwhich cost the lives of three US soldiers, as a warning also addressed to European governments.
The divisions at the Iranian leaders
The rumors also outline a possible fracture within Tehran’s power apparatus. According to one of the sources, the interlocutors were unable to reach an agreement with the President of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf they would be forced to negotiate directly with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards.Ghalibaf, involved at the highest levels in the diplomatic dossier, he accused Washington of wanting to obtain new concessions by increasing pressure on Iran. In his opinion, the American requests would go beyond what was established in the memorandum of understanding reached at Islamabad. In a message published on social networks, the President of Parliament harshly attacked the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent And Pete Hegsethclaiming that the two officials would not be able to handle the situation. He also invited the US administration not to rely on improvised solutions to remedy the consequences of its choices.
Tehran denies confidential meetings and Trump rules out new negotiations
The spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaeihas meanwhile denied the existence of confidential communications between the United States and the Revolutionary Guardspresumably conducted through emissaries present in the Kurdistan Iraqi. Baghaei he also ruled out that representatives of the two countries participated in a secret meeting in Erbil. In his opinion, these reconstructions would be part of a psychological campaign intended to fuel conflicts between the different decision-making centers of the Islamic Republic. On the American front, Donald Trump stated that there are no ongoing contacts with Tehran and that no new meetings are scheduled. The president assured that the naval blockade against Iran remains operational, while maintaining that it Strait of Hormuz would be accessible and that the devices present in its waters would be neutralized. The statements were also reported by the Associated Press, which however reports that maritime traffic is still limited. The president’s words seem to differ from what he said a few days earlier during a speech on Fox Newswhen he spoke of the existence of a confidential channel between Washington and the Revolutionary Guards. Trump finally, he ruled out wanting to extend the preliminary agreement reached in June to seek a solution to the conflict. At the same time he claimed full American control over the Strait of Hormuzwhich remains one of the main points of military and diplomatic friction between United States And Iran.
