Iranian press review: Newspapers warn of war reaching 'heart of Europe'

IRGC-linked outlets publish list of potential targets in Europe Daily newspapers close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have published a list of potential targets across Europe, following US strikes on Qeshm Island last week. The reports came as speculation grows over a possible return of the US to the war with Iran. On Tuesday, the Hamshahri daily published a map of Europe on its front page, marking US-used bases in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, Albania and Portugal as the “target bank of the Iranian armed forces”. Hamshahri described Iran’s new military strategy as one “of confrontation without geographical limits”, borrowing a term the country's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei previously used. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Under this strategy, the daily wrote, “US support centres, air and naval bases, and logistical infrastructure in Europe have been raised as potential targets”. The Kayhan daily, whose editor is appointed by the supreme leader, also issued a warning. It said that if the US did not accept Iran’s conditions for a peace deal, “the geography of the battle will expand to the heart of Europe and the depth of overseas bases”. It added that Iran’s military doctrine towards the US, Israel and their allies had become “more direct and more offensive”. Among European countries involved in the war against Iran, Kayhan singled out the UK, saying it had played “the most key and prominent role”. Could Iraq's 2006 experience be repeated in Iran in 2026? As senior Iranian officials welcomed the Republican Party's defeat in the US midterm elections as a blow to President Donald Trump's hawkish policies, the news website Khabar Online drew comparisons with the 2006 midterms, held during the US-led occupation of Iraq. In its report, Khabar Online warned that “a change in the congressional majority and opposition to war policies do not necessarily mean an immediate retreat by the president or an end to military operations”. 'Iron Gate plan is merely wordplay': Iran mocks US military initiative to disrupt supply routes Read More » The report recalled the Republican Party's similar defeat under the then president George W Bush and examined its impact on the war in Iraq, including the extensive powers the US president used to continue military operations. It also looked at US military operations in Iraq after 2006, when Washington increased the number of troops on the ground. “The expectation of some opponents of the war was that a Democratic victory would pave the way for a rapid withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. But what happened in the following months was the opposite,” the report said. Drawing on the comparison, Khabar Online concluded: “The Bush experience shows that even an anti-war majority in Congress cannot, on its own, stop the government's military course without political unity and the ability to overcome a presidential veto.” Israel sought to break up Iran, former Israeli negotiator says Daniel Levy, an Israeli peace negotiator who took part in the 1993 Oslo-B talks, said Israel's reasons for launching a new war against Iran on 28 February were to break it up and follow a policy similar to what happened in Iraq and Syria. “Israel's goal was the collapse of the state, the creation of chaos in Iran and the break-up of the country - something similar to what we saw in Iraq and Syria,” he said in an interview with BBC Persian. He added: “I don't think the Israelis themselves even believed their own propaganda narrative that regime change could be achieved in Iran.” Leak reportedly exposed Netanyahu and Mossad chief's plan to attack Iran before Israeli election Read More » On the plan to divide Iran, Levy also pointed to reports in the early days of the war about weapons being sent to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq. He said the initial idea was to establish a liberated area inside Iran, where resources and military forces could be concentrated to continue the war against the central government. Levy also referred to Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's deposed shah, who had received public support from Tel Aviv since Israel's 2025 attack on Iran. He described Israel's backing of Pahlavi as a temporary strategy aimed at advancing its longer-term goals. “The Pahlavi family was a useful tool for Israel. A tool for creating chaos. I don't believe they thought the end result would be regime change. I don't even think they considered that a desirable outcome,” he said. Tehran looks to Beijing as war diplomacy intensifies Speculation is growing over China's possible role in efforts to secure a ceasefire between Iran and the US, as diplomatic contacts between Tehran, Beijing and Muscat point to a possible new channel for negotiations. The pro-reformist Shargh daily reported that security official Ali Bagheri Kani's recent meetings in Beijing could signal the creation of “a parallel diplomatic path” led by China and Oman. Shargh added: “Bagheri Kani's visit, within this framework, could be part of Tehran's consultations to assess new diplomatic initiatives and explore the capacity of influential countries to prevent the crisis from escalating.” Meanwhile, the conservative Jame Jam daily also covered Bagheri Kani's visit, describing it as part of Iran's efforts to bring Beijing and Moscow on board with its regional policies. According to Jame Jam, Tehran's diplomatic efforts and consultations with China and Russia, alongside the use of mediators such as Qatar and Pakistan, are part of Iran's attempt to manage the war it has faced since February. However, the daily stressed that statements of support from China and Russia alone could not prevent the conflict from continuing. It said the effectiveness of their policies depended on practical action to prevent US unilateralism in the region.