Iran Threatens Military Targets in Europe Amid Escalating US-Tehran Conflict
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Iran eyes military targets in Europe if Trump escalates war, insiders say Proposals to retaliate against US assets beyond the Middle East come as many in Tehran see renewed conflict as inevitable
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CNBCIran has considered attacking U.S. military targets in Europe if the war escalates, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing two regime insiders.
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The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday said it had paused all "trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions" with Iran until further notice. On Tuesday, the UAE's Ministry of Defense said it detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward its territorial waters.
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Financial TimesUAE suspends trade with Iran after saying it fired missiles at Gulf state Defence ministry says weapons were targeting maritime traffic but fell into the sea
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By Monday, a 60-day ceasefire deal expired, and neither side has signaled any progress on talks to end the war—which Trump claims is aimed at stopping Iran from building nuclear weapons, even though his own intelligence agencies have said it wasn't trying to do so. Trump notably ditched the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal during his first term.
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CNBCPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. is not currently in any talks with Tehran and has no plans to restart them. He has also ruled out extending the 60-day ceasefire agreement which expired Monday, after the deal effectively fell apart.
Washington Times BusinessU.S.-Iran negotiations have dried up. This week ended the 60-day period that launched when the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement. It had been meant to open the way for more detailed talks. There’s no sign of it being extended. Trump now says there are no planned talks with Iran.
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It is unclear how effective Trump's threats against Oman will be, as the US military still hasn't forced Iran to reopen the strait even after burning through massive stocks of munitions—including what military sources have described to The Military Times as "virtually all" of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM).
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Washington Times BusinessIt is not clear whether Trump’s threat will make any difference in Oman’s talks with Iran, including in hurrying the countries to finalize and announce a deal.
CNBCMeanwhile, Trump has extended his verbal attacks to longstanding U.S. allies. On Monday, the president threatened to "bomb the s--- out of" Oman if the Gulf nation "gets in the way" of its objectives in the Middle East.
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Trump's warning to Oman comes as the closure of the strait is once again putting upward pressure on petroleum prices.
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Washington Times BusinessIt is not clear what effect Trump’s threat might have Oman is caught between two heavily armed and stubborn powers. Meanwhile, global supplies of oil, natural gas and related goods are only able to get through the strait at a reduced level, with ships still at risk of attack.
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Since Trump and Israel began illegally bombing Iran on February 28, the Middle East country has restricted traffic through the strait, a key shipping route, particularly for fossil fuels. That has driven up fuel prices worldwide, including in the United States, where the cost for a gallon of gasoline just hit a record high for mid-August.
7 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 ZeroHedge Saudi Arabia spent weeks finding ways around the Strait of Hormuz. Now it is starting to send tankers straight back through it.
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02 CNBC CNBC has reached out to Iran's Military of Foreign Affairs for comment and has not independently verified the story.
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03 Fortune The ongoing trade disruptions from the Iran war have enabled China to gain a trade edge, but it requires shipping vessels to brave the Arctic.
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04 Bloomberg Horizons Middle East & Africa 8/19/2026 (Video)
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05 Financial Times Israeli strikes on Syrian air base criticised by US and Turkey Bombing of military site is ‘an unnecessary escalation’ and underlines regional tensions over Damascus regime
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06 Washington Times Business The world knows that U.S. President Donald Trump is angry with Iran. But he’s not happy with the small country lying across the Strait of Hormuz from the Islamic Republic, either: Oman.
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07 Common Dreams 5 #000000 #FFFFFF The Iranian Parliament speaker said the strait will stay closed until the US blockade and oil embargo are lifted, and any party continuing its "aggression or threats" would face a "more severe defeat."
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Sources (7)
- ft
- cnbc
- zerohedge
- commondreams
- bloomberg
- fortune
- washtimes-biz