Iran Threatens to Strike European Bases If Used for US Attacks

Iran has issued a stark warning to the United States and its European allies, threatening to attack American military bases anywhere in the world, including on European soil, if they are used to launch airstrikes against the Islamic Republic.

Mohsen Rezai, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, made the threat in an interview broadcast on Wednesday 11 November by al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese television channel known for its pro-Iranian editorial stance.

"If American aircraft take off from a US military base, even one located in a European country or in another distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases," Rezai said during the interview, which was conducted in Tehran.

He went further, warning that any Iranian retaliation would target "the most distant American military installations, including those we have not yet attacked." He also suggested Iran could strike locations its adversaries consider beyond the range of Iranian missiles, saying: "We could even strike certain islands they consider out of reach of our missiles."

The threats come against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran has faced repeated US and Israeli military pressure over its nuclear programme and its support for regional armed groups. The United States maintains dozens of military installations across Europe, including major air bases in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, used for power projection across the Middle East and beyond.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump used Wednesday's Veterans Day commemorations in the United States, the annual holiday honouring American military personnel, to publicly defend the prospect of military action against Iran. The original source article did not provide further details of his remarks.

The Supreme National Security Council, the body Rezai heads, is Iran's top decision-making body on defence and foreign policy matters. It sits above individual ministries and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, making Rezai's statements an authoritative signal of Iranian government thinking rather than a fringe position.

What this means: For readers in Mauritius and the wider Indian Ocean region, an escalation between the United States and Iran would have practical consequences. Iran sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a significant share of global oil supplies pass. Any conflict disrupting that corridor could push fuel prices sharply higher worldwide, including in Mauritius, which imports all of its petroleum products. Investors and businesses tracking global risk should monitor this situation closely.

Source: ION News