LONDON | Iran has rejected suggestions that it was connected to the arrest of five British nationals near RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by U.S. forces for missions against Iran, as British counterterrorism police continue investigating the incident.
Iran’s embassy in London said Monday that speculation linking Tehran to the arrests was “unfounded and malicious” and condemned what it described as attempts to associate Iran with the case. The embassy said such claims could fuel what it called anti-Iran sentiment in Britain.
British authorities have not publicly linked Iran to the arrests. Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation, which began after police received a report early Sunday about three suspicious vehicles apparently travelling toward RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Five men were subsequently arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
Army bomb disposal specialists examined the vehicles, while residents in nearby Whelford were evacuated as a precaution. Reuters reported that the investigation remained at an early stage and that authorities had not publicly established a motive or identified any connection to a foreign government.
The arrests came amid heightened security concerns surrounding RAF Fairford because of its role in the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The British government has authorized U.S. forces to use the base for defensive operations against Iranian missile sites and threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously warned Britain that bases used to launch attacks against Iranian territory could be considered legitimate targets.
RAF Fairford has a long history as a strategic airbase. Opened in 1944 during World War II, it was used for airborne operations connected to the D-Day invasion of Normandy. During the Cold War, the United States used Fairford for strategic bomber operations, and its long runway later made it an important forward operating location for U.S. bombers. The base has supported American operations in conflicts including the 1991 Gulf War, the 1999 Kosovo campaign and the 2003 Iraq War.
The United States Air Force has also continued to use Fairford for bomber deployments and exercises with European allies. The Royal Air Force said the base has hosted U.S. Bomber Task Force deployments since 2018, supporting interoperability between American and British forces and wider NATO cooperation.
For now, British investigators have not established who was behind the suspected plot or whether it was connected to Iran. The Iranian government has formally denied any involvement as the investigation continues.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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