Iran threatens bases in Europe if used in renewed US attacks
Reports of Israeli military preparations emerged as Qatar pursued a diplomatic settlement and Tehran considered replacing its chief negotiator
- Iran has threatened to attack military bases from West Asia to Europe if they are used to support renewed US aggression against the country.
- The threat was issued by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who stated any involved base would be a "legitimate target" with "no safe haven."
- This warning comes as the US indicates it may resume war if diplomacy fails and as Israel reportedly accelerates its own military preparations for an attack.
Iran has threatened to strike military bases from West Asia to Europe if they are involved in a renewed US war against the country, according to an Al Jazeera report published on November 12, 2026.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the threat in a social media post as diplomatic efforts continued to prevent renewed fighting.
“If the US launches another war against Iran, every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target for Iran’s lethal strikes,” Rezaei wrote.
“No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity,” Rezaei added.
Israeli preparations reported amid diplomatic efforts
Israeli media reported on Wednesday evening, November 11, that the security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had instructed the military to accelerate preparations for an attack on Iran, according to Al Jazeera.
Reports of Israel’s military preparations emerged as Iran intensified diplomatic efforts to avoid further conflict and secure a negotiated settlement.
US President Donald Trump has indicated that he is prepared to resume the war if a diplomatic initiative proposed by Qatar fails to produce an agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Iran discusses a possible change of negotiator
Iranian leaders have been discussing whether to appoint the hardline Rezaei as their new chief negotiator, Al Jazeera’s Tehran correspondent Resul Serdar Atas reported.
Atas also described views circulating in Tehran that Iran might take pre-emptive action if the current situation persisted for an extended period.
Iran’s parliament speaker and current chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has indicated that Tehran intends to move beyond a state of “no war, no peace” by establishing “sustainable deterrence” if negotiations fail, according to Atas.
Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview published on November 11 that the Strait of Hormuz would “never return” to its status before the US-Israeli war against Iran. Ghalibaf added that “the ball is now in the American court”.
“What stands in the way of an agreement is our lack of trust in the United States,” Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera.
Washington emphasises economic pressure
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the Trump administration’s economic pressure on Iran is proving sufficiently effective to make a return to large-scale military operations unnecessary.
Al Jazeera’s Washington correspondent Alan Fisher reported that Trump was continuing to justify his decision to go to war against Iran while repeatedly suggesting that the conflict would end soon.
Fisher described recent statements by Trump and Rubio as signalling that large-scale military engagement had ended and would not need to resume unless Iran crossed their red lines.
The White House’s priority was to ensure that Trump remained in a position to declare victory, Fisher argued. Fisher also reported signs of activity behind the scenes towards negotiating a settlement.
US Central Command, meanwhile, stated that American forces continued working “around the clock” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping while strictly enforcing the naval blockade against Iran.
