The United Kingdom government believes Iran played a role in the incident at RAF Fairford that led to the arrest of five men, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said.
Burnham, speaking to the BBC, said there were “strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford”, although he did not provide further details.
The comments drew a response from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who dismissed the claim, saying the UK leader was “barking up the wrong tree”.
Araghchi also wrote on social media: “I can confirm Iran’s belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all.”
The five men, all UK nationals aged between 23 and 25, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday after police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles in Whelford, a village directly east of the RAF base.
The suspects were later released on bail, a decision that has been questioned by United States President Donald Trump.
However, Burnham said the men were under the “strictest possible bail conditions”.
“I think people need to understand that when it says released – that isn’t as people might think. It’s obviously with the strictest possible bail conditions,” Burnham said.
“The authorities have this under the strongest grip and closest control, and I can assure you of that.”
The Prime Minister added that the British authorities remained in close contact with their American counterparts over the investigation.
“We will say more in due course but we can confirm our belief that we believe Iran to have played a part,” he said.
“Of course it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation, and of course we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America,” Burnham added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier said the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor”, while speaking about the case on Monday.
Police said searches of the vehicles found a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices.
Searches of the suspects’ homes have also been completed.
The RAF base has been used as a forward operating location by the US Air Force for decades and, in recent months, US bombers have operated from the site for missions in the Middle East.
In July, Iran warned that “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.
Before Araghchi’s latest comments, the Iranian embassy in London had rejected what it described as “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Iran to the incident.
