Iran is mulling possible retaliatory options against U.S. assets in Europe should President Donald Trump escalate the war, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.
FT cited “insiders” who said Iranian forces have weighed attacks in southeastern European countries such as Bulgaria, which last month approved U.S. military use of its Bezmer airbase for refueling. Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov had assured legislators that the “temporary presence” of U.S. aircraft would “not make Bulgaria a party to the military conflict.”
Iran has separately considered targeting underwater fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz.
The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces on Wednesday said that “any assistance and facilitation provided to” the U.S. military would be considered “tantamount to participation with the U.S. military forces.”
The UAE announced Tuesday that it would suspend all trade with Iran, citing “regional escalations.” The same day, the Gulf Arab nation accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles targeting maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf. Tehran denied the claim.
Energy prices remain elevated due to restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude oil was over $92 per barrel on Wednesday morning. AAA recorded the national average price of regular gas at $4.09 per gallon.
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