00:00Tehran is preparing responses to a possible escalation of the war by the Donald Trump administration.
00:06and is studying the possibility of attacks against US military installations in Europe, the Financial Times reports.
00:15According to the publication, the Iranian leadership is considering expanding the geography of retaliatory attacks.
00:21if Washington launches a new offensive or significantly intensifies its military campaign.
00:27The focus is on US military installations in southeastern Europe.
00:33Bulgaria is among the possible targets.
00:36Last month, Sofia approved the use of the Vesmer air base by tanker aircraft from
00:42the United States Air Force.
00:45Cyprus is also on the list of potentially vulnerable targets.
00:49As the newspaper points out, a British military installation on the island was already attacked by a drone in March.
00:55The publication also writes that Tehran's military plans are not limited to possible attacks against US targets in
01:03European taices.
01:04In addition, Iran is reportedly considering destroying underwater fiber optic cables laid in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:11An attack of this type could create additional problems for communications and data transmission in this region
01:19of strategic importance.
01:21The newspaper notes that these scenarios reflect the climate within the Iranian leadership.
01:27In Tehran, a growing number of regime officials view the resumption of large-scale hostilities not as a likely scenario
01:34improbable, but rather a matter of time.
01:37In this context, the Trump administration is preparing a new round of economic pressure on Iran.
01:43Treasury Secretary Scott Besant stated that Washington could announce unprecedented measures as early as next week.
01:52in its magnitude and in the economic isolation of Tehran.
01:56Analysts suggest that the US side could cross the Rubicon and begin to put pressure on international financial networks.
02:04which allow Tehran to continue exporting oil, writes Radio Liberty.
02:08Experts mention Chinese banks, yuan settlements, and intermediaries that facilitate Iran's trade with China.
02:16foreign buyers as potential targets.
02:20China remains one of the main buyers of Iranian oil, and a significant portion of the settlements are made
02:28in currencies other than the dollar, including the Chinese yuan.
02:31Therefore, a potential strategy for Washington could involve targeting Chinese financial institutions involved in such transactions.
02:40transactions.
02:41Elaine Desensky, director of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, with
02:49Based in the United States, it notes that special attention could be paid to financial centers such as Hong Kong, as well as to
02:56banks involved in transactions with sanctioned Iranian oil.
02:59Another option would involve invoking a section of the Patriot Act that would allow Washington to qualify certain Iranian oil operations.
03:08denominated in yuan as directly related to money laundering.
03:14Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert at the US firm Obsidian Risk Advisors, believes that imposing sanctions against banks
03:22This would represent a new level of escalation for the Chinese.
03:26According to him, the Treasury Department had long known it had this leverage, but had avoided using it because
03:34the potential side effects on the US and global financial system.
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