Alliance stresses strength of collective defence after report suggests Tehran considered targeting US military facilities in Europe

BRUSSELS: NATO said on Wednesday that it remained prepared to respond to any security threat after a report suggested Iran had considered attacking US military targets in Europe if Washington escalated its war with Tehran.

Responding to questions about the Financial Times report, a NATO official said the alliance would take whatever measures it considered necessary to defend all member states.

“NATO is prepared to address any threat and will always do what is necessary to defend all allies,” the official said.

The comments come amid heightened concerns that the continuing US-Iran confrontation could expand beyond the Middle East and create additional security challenges for American forces and NATO members in Europe.

Alliance Points to Previous Missile Interceptions

Furthermore, the NATO official cited earlier Iranian ballistic missile launches toward Türkiye as evidence of the alliance’s ability to respond to potential attacks.

According to NATO, allied air-defence systems successfully intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles heading toward Türkiye on four separate occasions earlier this year.

The official said those interceptions demonstrated that NATO maintains a “strong and effective” deterrence and defence posture.

However, NATO did not provide additional details about the reported Iranian deliberations or identify specific US military facilities that Tehran may have considered potential targets.

Report Raises Concerns Over Wider Escalation

Meanwhile, the reported possibility of attacks against American military installations in Europe highlights growing concerns that further escalation between Washington and Tehran could widen the geographical scope of the conflict.

The United States maintains substantial military forces and facilities across several European NATO countries.

Consequently, any attack against facilities located on allied territory could create broader questions surrounding NATO’s collective defence commitments.

However, no Iranian attack against US military installations in Europe has been reported, and the claims regarding Tehran’s deliberations remain based on the media report.

NATO has not announced additional deployments or changes to its existing defence posture in response.

The situation remains developing as the alliance continues monitoring regional and European security threats.