Britain believes Iran was involved in incident near air base used by U.S., Prime Minister Andy Burnham says

Key Points:

• British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated that Iran likely played a role in a security incident near RAF Fairford, a British air base used by U.S. forces for strikes on Iran, following the arrest of five British nationals on suspicion of terror and explosives offenses.
• The five men, all in their 20s from London, were arrested after being seen moving toward RAF Fairford early Sunday; they were released on bail and no charges have been filed yet.
• The incident prompted an emergency security meeting chaired by Burnham, and counterterrorism police took over the investigation after a major incident was declared, leading to evacuations in the local community.
• Iran has strongly denied any involvement, condemning the accusations as unfounded and malicious, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissing the UK’s claims on social media.
• British intelligence officials stated that the UK’s belief in Iran’s involvement is based on intelligence gathered during the investigation, including two calls made early Sunday that raised suspicions about the group’s activities.