Tehran will strike US bases in Europe if used to attack Iran, security chief says

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has threatened to strike US bases beyond the Middle East, including in Europe, if they are used for attacks against the Islamic republic.

"If American aircraft take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or some other distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases as well," Rezaei told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

He also said that Iran's response to renewed US attacks would "target America's more distant military installations – including the ones we have not yet attacked", without specifying.

"We may even strike certain islands that they assume are beyond the reach of our missiles," he added during the interview, which was conducted in Tehran.

The Middle East war broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at countries across the region hosting US military assets, while the militant groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also entered the fray.

Diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan have been underway to negotiate an end to the war.

Tehran insists Washington accept a raft of demands including unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital energy conduit it has blockaded since the start of the conflict.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no need to attack Iran again, citing what he described as successful efforts to undermine its economy.

Washington has appeared to taper down recent threats of renewed strikes after the defeat of President Donald Trump's Republican party in recent midterm elections, in part due to the unpopularity of the war on Iran.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)