Rezaei Threatens to Target Distant U.S. Bases if Washington Attacks Iran

Key Facts

Mohsen Rezaei threatened to target distant U.S. bases if the United States launched a new attack on Iran, extending the threat beyond nearby bases. The Times of Israel quoted him as saying: "If the Americans make a mistake and attack us, we will not be satisfied with targeting nearby bases; we will strike all nearby bases, and we will also target distant American bases." The statement came as U.S. military movements in Europe were being monitored, after the Associated Press reported that U.S. aircraft left Mildenhall Air Base in England before November 12. Observers tracked 13 aircraft departing for bases in Scotland, Spain and Germany, according to the agency. A U.S. official did not specify the nature of the threat that preceded the aircraft's transfer, the report said.

Earlier strikes in the Middle East provide security context for the statement, but do not establish that European bases were targeted in this development. An Associated Press analysis said more than 115 drone or missile attacks, attributed to Iran or groups it supports, had damaged or destroyed facilities at 26 military bases and other sites housing U.S. equipment through August 2026. The agency estimated that damage to equipment amounted to billions of dollars in an analysis published on October 31, 2026. On energy, damage to refining infrastructure in the Gulf and Russia limited the regions' ability to ship diesel to the global market, according to an Axios report. The report said this contributed to rising prices globally, noting that U.S. diesel futures had risen by more than 100% compared with the end of 2025 through November 3, 2026.

But available diesel data for the period around the news show mixed moves between retail prices and futures. The U.S. average retail diesel price was 6.127 dollars per gallon in the week ended November 9, compared with 6.292 dollars in the previous week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The front-month New York low-sulfur heating oil futures contract, a futures benchmark linked to diesel rather than a retail pump price, settled at 4.2113 dollars per gallon on November 11. In the previous session, the same contract settled at 4.1309 dollars per gallon. Brent futures fell on November 12 by 1.47 dollars, or 1.58%, to 91.29 dollars per barrel by 0426 GMT, as escalation concerns eased and worries about abundant supply increased, according to Reuters.

Brent futures had risen on November 11 by 1.39% to 92.76 dollars per barrel, after Iranian remarks that enriched nuclear material would not be removed. A UBS analyst said fading hopes for de-escalation supported oil prices, according to Reuters. The oil moves between the two sessions reflect broader factors, including prospects for de-escalation and supply, and do not in themselves provide evidence of a direction for diesel or a direct price impact from Rezaei's threat. On supplies, the Associated Press said an agreement to ship Russian diesel announced in October had not resulted in a confirmed U.S. delivery by the time of its report. The October 9 announcement had said 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel would be made available immediately to U.S. and global markets, while analysts questioned the agreement's ability to lower prices, and two tankers changed course away from the U.S. East Coast.