[Copyright © 2026 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. All Rights Reserved. 9.30.26 Article text: rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html]
There are “strong indications” that Tehran was involved in suspicious activity close to a British airbase used by US forces to strike Iran, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on September 30.
In an incident which triggered a huge police response, five British men in their 20s were arrested on September 27 on suspected terrorism and explosive offences near RAF Fairford in western England.
All five of the suspects live in London. They were later released on bail as the investigation continues.
“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation,” Burnham told the BBC in an interview.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi rejected UK’s allegations saying London “barks up the wrong tree.” In a social media post on September 30, hours after Burnham’s statement, Araqchi wrote that releasing “supposed terrorists” who were allegedly working for a foreign state “says it all.”
Until Burnham’s remarks, Britain had not linked the Fairford events to Iran, though counterterrorism police have said their investigation included the possibility of foreign state involvement and the involvement of proxies “knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state.” With reporting by Reuters
There are “strong indications” that Tehran was involved in suspicious activity close to a British airbase used by US forces to strike Iran, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said.
In an incident which triggered a huge police response, five British men in their 20s were arrested on… pic.twitter.com/TuBhWWrV2m
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) September 30, 2026
