Iran warns of strikes on US bases in Europe

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU —Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei has threatened to strike US military bases beyond the Middle East, including those in Europe, if they are used to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic, as fresh estimates put the Gulf region's war-related damage and economic losses at nearly $1 trillion through 2030.

"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 television in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. Amid continuing efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan to end the conflict, Razae threatened that Iran's response would target "America's more distant military installations" and could extend to islands Washington considers beyond the reach of Iranian missiles.

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% has remained a central point of eh conflict. Rezaei said the nuclear issue was not currently part of negotiations, adding that Tehran would not agree to send any amount of its enriched nuclear material outside the country. Iranian officials have previously warned that any renewed US attack could widen the conflict geographically.

In September, an adviser to the country's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the war could extend to the Indian Ocean and beyond. The strategic US-British base at Diego Garcia lies nearly 4,000 kilometres from Iran. In March, Iran fired two missiles towards the installation; one fell short and the other was intercepted, according to Britain.

US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned last month that Iran had substantially increased efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond. Washington also ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia last month amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthi fighters.

Meanwhile, a report by insurer Allianz Trade estimated that physical damage across Gulf countries had exceeded $200 billion, with energy infrastructure accounting for much of the destruction, particularly in economies affected by restrictions on Hormuz. Allianz Trade estimated the cumulative loss of economic output across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at $790 billion through 2030, equivalent to a 5.9% shortfall against the region's pre-war growth trajectory.

In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has relocated from his home to a military base for security reasons amid threats linked to Iran, an official familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Bessent is the third senior member of President Donald Trump's cabinet reported to have moved into military housing, after Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

He has led Washington's efforts to weaken Iran's economy through sanctions.