Iran is reportedly preparing contingency plans to strike British military installations if the United States resumes major military action in the Middle East, raising the risk of a wider confrontation involving UK forces.
According to the Financial Times, sources close to Tehran said British bases on Cyprus feature among potential targets being considered for retaliation.
The warning comes after Iranian drones attacked installations at Akrotiri, the UK sovereign base area, during the earlier phase of the conflict.
The reported targeting plans underscore the increasingly international character of the confrontation. Other potential targets are understood to include US military assets in south-eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, as well as undersea communications infrastructure around the Strait of Hormuz.
The threat comes after a 60-day ceasefire between Iran and the US and Israel expired on August 17. Efforts to convert the truce into a permanent settlement have continued through intermediaries, but negotiations have failed to produce an agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the dispute. The narrow waterway carries a substantial share of global energy shipments and has become a focal point of the confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and Oman have indicated that discussions aimed at restoring shipping through the strait are making progress. But Donald Trump has maintained that the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in force, while saying that mines have been removed and other maritime traffic is able to pass.
For Britain, the prospect of renewed Iranian attacks presents a difficult strategic problem. The Cyprus bases are important to British military operations in the region, but their location also makes them exposed to retaliation if the conflict escalates.
The reported Iranian planning suggests Tehran is preparing for a broader confrontation rather than treating the expired ceasefire as the end of hostilities. For London and its allies, the concern is that any renewed US strikes could trigger retaliation against British assets thousands of miles from the battlefield.
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