Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper, said Iran could target European countries if they allow the United States to use their bases for military operations. His warning lands as the Iran–US–Israel conflict continues to deepen across the Middle East and raises the pressure on governments that host American or NATO military infrastructure.
The declaration matters because Iran has already shown it can reach beyond its borders, including a UK base in Cyprus and US-linked facilities in the Gulf. European countries such as Greece and Bulgaria fall within the range of Iran’s missiles, and governments there have responded by strengthening security around their bases. The fallout is already visible in prediction markets, where the Fall of the Iranian Regime market stands at a 2.6% YES probability for May 31, down from 3% over the past 24 hours, while the Iran Military Action Against Neighbors market remains at 100% YES for potential strikes by April 30, 2026.
That mix of rhetoric, military reach and precaution leaves Europe in a sharper bind than before. Shariatmadari’s statement is not just a threat aimed at Washington; it is a message to countries that may be drawn into the conflict by the presence of foreign bases on their soil, and it places added weight on every decision European leaders make about security, access and cooperation.
The tension is straightforward. Iran says it will answer military pressure where it can; Europe says it is hardening defenses; and the question now is whether the warning stays at the level of intimidation or becomes a new front in an already volatile conflict.