Iran Accused of Orchestrating Systematic Campaign Against UK Interests, Calls for Offensive Action

A politician and former British Army officer has stated that Iran is engaged in a “systematic campaign” against UK interests, asserting that security services should respond with offensive measures. Mike Martin, who completed multiple tours with the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan, has urged Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to adopt a more stringent approach towards the Iranian regime. This call comes in light of Iran being implicated in several attacks and plots, including a recent incident at RAF Fairford, a base utilized by US aircraft. In connection with this, seven individuals have been arrested and subsequently released on bail as investigations into a potential bomb plot continue, leading to the temporary withdrawal of US B-1 bomber aircraft. Furthermore, two Iranians have been apprehended on suspicion of planning a lethal attack targeting Manchester’s Jewish community.

Ms. Mahmood announced on Monday the government's establishment of a specialized counter-terrorism unit designed to address state-sponsored threats originating from countries like Iran. Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and a former member of the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan, conveyed his assessment during an urgent parliamentary debate on UK national security, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's suggestion that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) might be responsible for the Fairford incident. “I think it’s safe to say that there’s a systematic Iranian campaign on British soil,” Mr. Martin declared.

Mr. Martin, who serves on the defence committee, characterized the government's existing measures against Iran—which included sanctions against the head of counter-espionage operations within the IRGC and the summoning of the Iranian ambassador to London—as “largely defensive in nature.” He questioned whether the Home Secretary had considered a more proactive strategy: “Sometimes offence is the best form of defence, and I wonder whether the Home Secretary has considered that perhaps we need to increase the costs on the Iranians for their actions and considered signalling that fact to the Iranians to deter them from future activity?”

Former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden informed parliament on Monday that Iran perceives the UK as an adversary and “smells weakness.” He detailed Iran's alleged attempts to carry out attacks at bases in Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean), Akrotiri (Cyprus), and Fairford (Gloucestershire). The UK had previously imposed sanctions on the IRGC in July, following the initial incidents and a series of attacks against dissidents in preceding years.

Ms. Mahmood stated that the threats posed by Iran have been a subject of discussion with Britain's international allies. “We will always make sure we take both collective action to deal with the threats we all face, but also make sure we are always protecting the British national interests,” she affirmed. While declining to offer a “running commentary on wider discussions,” she assured that the government “will always take every appropriate step to keep our people safe.”

In her statement, Ms. Mahmood highlighted the new National Security Act, which equips the government with “powerful new tools to tackle state threats.” She revealed that her department is “building a specialist mission in counterterror policing to disrupt state threats and tightening security around military bases.” Additionally, the UK will establish a National Centre for Information Defence to combat state-sponsored disinformation and will grant intelligence agencies and police enhanced authority to address cybercriminals. Regarding the threat from states like Iran, she emphasized: “Make no mistake: our police and security services are on permanent watch.”

Foreign ministries from nearly 30 countries, including the US, Canada, France, and Germany, issued a joint statement on Monday condemning “Iran’s use of violent attacks, including the acts of lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber attacks, and other ⁠hybrid activities against us and our partners.” The statement further noted the UK's conclusion that this event underscores the IRGC’s persistent readiness to project hostile activities beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared: “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams. And we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity if Iran and the IRGC do us harm.”