In Europe, an Emboldened Iran Contributes to a Sense of Anxiety

Prosecutors and government officials believe Iran or its proxies are behind a series of security breaches and threats in Britain and Europe, unsettling the region. On Veterans Day this past week, President Trump declared that his decision to go to war with Iran had been a complete success.

“When this conflict is over, and it will be soon,” he said, speaking on a blustery morning from Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, “the entire world will be a much safer and better place, more peaceful place.” A growing number of attempted terrorist attacks across the continent and in Britain, including a foiled plot against a major American military base, arson attacks on Jewish community sites and cyberattacks that raised temperatures in refrigerators and blood banks are rattling national security officials and unnerving the public. Many have been attributed to Iran or to proxies acting on its behalf.

The sense of global unease was heightened when the U.S. government grounded all air travel for hours on Friday in what officials later said was a technical issue.