NATO vows to defend allies amid reports of possible Iranian threats to Europe

A NATO official said on Wednesday that the alliance's deterrence and defense capabilities are strong and effective, pointing to an incident in March when NATO air defenses successfully intercepted, on four separate occasions, ballistic missiles believed to have been launched from Iran and flying toward Turkey. Iran denied any involvement in the missile launches at the time. That same month, Cyprus was also targeted in a drone attack.

Possible new threats

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing its own sources, that Iran had considered the possibility of striking US military targets in Europe if US President Donald Trump were to expand military action against Iran. Responding to the report, the NATO official said the alliance is ready to respond to any threats and will do whatever is necessary to defend all of its allies.

Bulgaria and Cyprus have been named as possible targets, along with undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz, damage to which could affect global communications. Tehran has stated that any potential action would not be limited to the Middle East and that it is prepared to act more broadly.

In July, The New York Times reported that Iran had also considered launching a missile strike against Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.