Iran Denies Involvement in Suspected Plot Targeting UK Airbase

• Iran has rejected claims linking it to a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by US forces.
• Five men arrested on Sunday have been released on bail while the investigation continues.
• UK police are examining several possibilities, including a potential foreign state connection, but have not established an Iranian role.

Iran has denied involvement in a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford after British police said they were investigating whether the alleged activity had any connection to a foreign state.

Iran’s embassy in London rejected what it called “unfounded and malicious speculation” linking Tehran to the case. It said the claims were fuelling “Iranophobia” in Britain and that Iran reserved the right to take appropriate legal measures.

Five British men, aged 23 to 25 and from London, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparing a terrorist act. UK Counter Terrorism Policing said on Monday that they had been released on bail after extensive interviews and inquiries.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said the investigation remained active. The men are subject to bail conditions restricting their movement and contact with others, while officers pursue multiple lines of inquiry.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Britain must be ready to respond to security threats affecting the UK and its allies. “We will act against the proxies of Iran,” he said.

RAF Fairford has been used by US forces for operations against Iranian missile sites after the British government authorised its use for specific defensive operations. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously described the base as a legitimate target following US military operations against Iran. British police have not publicly linked that statement to the five suspects.