© picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Petros Karadjias
Caught Between Geopolitical Rivals
Security Concerns Entangle Cyprus in Regional and Global Power Politics
In early March 2026, the Middle East came to Cyprus, as Iranian drones targeted British military bases there. Greece, France, and the United Kingdom immediately reinforced their military presence after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) with missile attacks. The escalation did not come entirely out of the blue. Over the past decade, the Republic of Cyprus has become a military hub for Israel and United States. Through such alliances, the Republic of Cyprus has sought to secure protection from Turkey, which has occupied one-third of the island since 1964 and refuses to recognise the Republic of Cyprus or its maritime boundaries
As the Iranian attacks demonstrate, enhanced security against Turkey is offset by unpredictable risks arising from Tel Aviv’s strategic use of the island and increased American and British military activity in the Republic of Cyprus’s territory and airspace. This shock is leading Nicosia to turn towards European states and the European Union, which have been almost absent from its security calculations. What does this mean for an EU that cannot ignore its member’s concerns but also wants to cooperate more closely with Turkey in matters of global and regional security?