Iran security chief threatens US bases in Europe

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei threatened to strike US bases outside the Middle East, including in Europe, if they are used for attacks on Iran.

Rezaei told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that if American aircraft took off from a US military base in Europe or another distant region to bomb Iran, “we will strike those bases as well”.

He also said any Iranian response to renewed US attacks would target more distant US military installations, including ones Iran had not yet attacked. He said Iran could also strike islands that he said the United States believed were beyond the reach of Iranian missiles.

The Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with missiles and drones across the region, while militant groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also entered the conflict.

Diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan have been underway to negotiate an end to the war. Tehran has demanded that Washington unfreeze assets and lift sanctions in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the conflict began.

Rezaei said Iran's nuclear programme was “not currently” part of the talks. He said Tehran had set red lines, including that it would not send any enriched material outside Iran.

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