Mark Sansijan, retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, has assessed that, based on the demonstrated range of previous missile tests, Iran could potentially target parts of Southeastern Europe, RSE reported.
“The threat to Europe is very real,” he said, noting that NATO and the United States have already developed certain defensive systems.
“Washington and NATO anticipated this risk long ago, which is why they built missile defense systems in Poland and Romania,” Sansijan said, but he cautioned that “Europe is still not fully prepared.”
He added that NATO systems and regional structures provide a certain level of protection for Kosovo. Sansijan highlighted that Kosovo is covered by NATO’s missile defense system in Romania and could further strengthen its defense through close cooperation with the Alliance.
“Many countries have partnerships with NATO that allow coordination in areas like air defense. For example, Sweden and Finland cooperated extensively with NATO even before becoming full members. It is therefore possible to place a smaller country under NATO protection without formal membership,” Sansijan explained.
In contrast, former Croatian intelligence official Gordan Akrap expressed skepticism regarding Iran’s missile capabilities.
“First, it must be verified whether Iran even has missiles capable of reaching targets 4,000 to 5,000 kilometers away. Even if it does, considering the extensive fleets in the Mediterranean and deployed missile defense systems, I am confident those missiles would likely be neutralized during flight, as they would have to pass over Israel or Turkey,” Akrap said.
He stressed that security cannot rely solely on large international organizations.
“Kosovo benefits from its relationship with NATO, but the future of security cannot depend exclusively on major structures like the EU or NATO,” Akrap said, adding that bilateral security arrangements are also necessary.
“No country can emerge victorious in any conflict or war if it acts alone. Building partnerships is essential,” he said.
Akrap also warned of potential terrorist attacks by individuals or networks linked to Iran.
“Many members of various Shiite organizations have already targeted Western and Israeli objectives worldwide,” he noted.
He concluded that Kosovo must act prudently, pursue responsible policies, and accept strategic compromises to strengthen relations with the EU and NATO.
