‘Nobody considered this a European problem’: Is Europe ready to stand up to Iranian threats?

Dr. Lynette Nusbacher, who played a key role in the development of the UK's National Security Strategies, recently told The Jerusalem Post that nobody considered Iran's threat to Europe as a European problem. This sentiment came after Iranian officials threatened to strike European nations if they allowed the US to utilize their bases for attacks on Iran.

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Iran's parliament security committee, stated that if the US uses bases in Europe, including Italy and Germany, Iranian missiles would be fired towards Europe.

A map published by Tehran municipality-owned Hamshahri showcased 15 potential targets across Europe, including military bases in Britain, Germany, and Italy. Despite acknowledging the lack of ICBMs in Iran's arsenal, Nusbacher emphasized that the threat posed by Iranian ICBMs was not a major concern. In March, Iran launched two long-range ballistic missiles towards the UK-occupied Diego Garcia base, which is located about 4,000 kilometers away.

One missile failed during flight, but the second was intercepted by a US warship after traveling beyond Iran's self-declared 2,000-kilometer range limit.

Nusbacher explained that a few months earlier, Iran demonstrated its capability to launch a theater ballistic missile with a high explosive warhead towards the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia. She argued that if Iran could send such a missile most of the way to the island, it could potentially reach targets in Europe. However, Iran does not possess ICBMs, and a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers could still hit parts of southeastern Europe, including Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Another Iranian parliament member, Fada Hossein Maleki, told Euronews that Iran had prepared a new approach for any renewed conflict, which could surprise both the US and European countries. He emphasized that the only reason to view Iranian ballistic missiles as a threat is their potential to miss their targets while damaging relationships across Europe.

Recently, cyberattacks across Europe also caught the attention of European authorities, with over 30 countries issuing a joint statement condemning Iran's violent attacks, including lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks, and other hybrid activities.