For decades, the Iranian regime has relied on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies – including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis – to do its bidding, targeting not just Israel and other Middle Eastern countries but also Europe, NATO members, Latin America, the United States, and the broader international order.
For years, the IRGC fronted for the regime, directing targeted attacks against Americans, Israelis, Jews, and dissident journalists, marking them for assassination on European and US soil. Tehran’s leaders sat comfortably in elaborate palaces while the Houthis in Yemen attacked shipping operations in the Red Sea and Port of Aden, while Hezbollah hijacked TWA Flight 847 and bombed Jewish institutions in Buenos Aires, and while Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad sowed terror against Israel time and time again.
But now the whole world sees the man behind the curtain as Tehran directly launches missiles and drones at hotels and residential areas in Dubai, Qatar, and Bahrain, and at international airports in Kuwait and Iraq. Before this weekend, even the most experienced military geopolitical thought leaders would have been ridiculed for suggesting Tehran would take things this far.
There should have been no surprise at Iran’s growing willingness to use its missile and drone arsenal to go after these targets directly. In April and October 2024, the regime made history when, for the first time, it directly attacked Israel. But, as is always the case, when Israel is the target, all else is context, easily dismissed or disregarded.
The world cannot afford to so easily dismiss what is now glaringly clear. Thankfully, Europe has begun to respond.
Leaders in nearly every country on the continent – Spain being the sorry exception – condemned the Iranian regime’s attacks while highlighting the European Union’s recent, long-overdue designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation–a policy change that American Jewish Committee advocated for years. It is high time the UK follows suit – particularly after British police recently arrested four men in London on suspicion of spying for Iran, reportedly surveilling Jewish people and sites.
While we laud the EU’s action, it should have happened much sooner. There was plenty of evidence to do so in 2012 after the bus bombing in Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian, and the foiled attack on Israelis in Cyprus – leading to the first indictment of Hezbollah members in Europe. After those attacks, the EU falsely and symbolically bifurcated Hezbollah into so-called military and political wings, designating only the former as a terror group and thereby allowing for recruitment and fundraising to continue uninhibited. This glaring miscalculation must also be remedied.
But designations alone are insufficient. The EU must swiftly and fully implement it by freezing assets, expelling IRGC agents from Europe, shutting down financial and logistical channels, and aligning with US sanctions.
The fact that Ahmad Vahidi, a key suspect in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, subject to an Interpol red notice since 2007, was named the new head of the IRGC demonstrates the global aspirations of this terror group. Only robust enforcement will constrain Tehran from bolstering the IRGC and arming proxies in Lebanon, other Arab states, and beyond.
Tehran’s strikes on NATO-linked targets, including US and Italian forces in Kuwait, the UK’s Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, and the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, showcase both the regime’s reach and its willingness to threaten Europe and NATO assets directly. These threats make clear the need to invest in NATO’s collective defences, including ensuring readiness to protect Alliance territory and populations from the threat of ballistic missiles. At home, Congress should authorise security assistance and cooperative programs that reinforce deterrence, signal US commitment, and support European and NATO partners in safeguarding regional security.
Tehran’s targeting of the UK’s base in Cyprus, which violated Cypriot air space, was also a direct attack on the EU. In fact, Cyprus currently holds the EU presidency. Just 235 miles from Israel, Cyprus sits at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East. It, like NATO, needs concrete, international support. Importantly, France and a handful of other European nations are deploying defence assets to the eastern Mediterranean to help safeguard Cyprus against drone and missile threats and bolster broader regional security.
The stakes are clear. Actions taken by the international community must be deliberate, coordinated, and multi-layered: sanctions enforcement, robust defence posture, intelligence and operational coordination, and US congressional action on security priorities.
With Iran’s regime exposed, the transatlantic community has no choice but to unite and respond. Iran’s future may still be cloudy but our resolve must be clear. Words alone will not protect us. Policy, preparedness, and principled coordination must follow immediately.
Julie Fishman Rayman is Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs at American Jewish Committee (AJC)
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