Iran Rejects Airbase Attack Link as UK Minister Flags Threat of Proxies

An armoured vehicle patrols the interior at RAF Fairford Airbase [AFP]. Iran has strongly denied any connection to a suspected plot directed at the Fairford Airbase in the United Kingdom.

In a statement issued on Monday, Iran’s embassy in London condemned what it termed “fabricated speculations” attempting to link Tehran to the event. The response follows the arrest of five British nationals near the facility, a location that hosts United States military aircraft utilized for bombing Iran amid ongoing hostilities.

The suspects were taken into custody on Sunday morning on suspicion of the “preparation of a terrorist act”. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated on Monday that the UK remains prepared to confront security threats globally, noting, “We will act against the proxies of Iran.”

The Iranian embassy stated it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets”, warning that such claims promote “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain. It also noted that Iran retains the right to “take appropriate legal measures”.

British police have not yet formally linked Iran to the arrests, as Counter Terrorism Policing pursues its ongoing investigation. Authorities are currently exploring multiple lines of inquiry concerning suspected offenses under the Explosives Act and the preparation of terrorist acts.

The UK government previously authorized the US to use bombers stationed at RAF Fairford to target Iranian missile sites attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. A source close to the investigation indicated on Sunday that an Iranian-linked motive remains a primary focus, alongside alternative theories involving Russian sabotage or an Islamist plot.

Previously, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) declared in July that the Fairford base constituted a legitimate target. British police apprehended the five men after a tip-off suggested three suspicious vehicles were moving toward the base in southwest England.

Counterterrorism police identified the detained individuals as British nationals aged 23 to 25 hailing from London. By Monday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, announced that the five suspects had been released on bail following intensive interviews and inquiries, though they remain subject to stringent movement restrictions.

US President Donald Trump stated that the suspects intended to cause “big damage” and had been monitored by British and US authorities “for a long time, and we got them”. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham scheduled a COBRA emergency response team meeting for Monday to review the ongoing investigation.