Iran denies link to attack on airbase as UK minister warns of ‘proxies’

Tehran condemns ‘unfounded and malicious speculation’ around the attack on the US-used base as British FM vows to ‘act against the proxies of Iran’.

Iran has denied any involvement in a suspected plot targeting the Fairford Airbase in the United Kingdom.

Iran’s embassy in London condemned in a statement on Monday the “fabricated speculations” linking Tehran to the incident. Five British nationals were arrested in the vicinity of the base, which hosts United States military aircraft that have been used to bomb Iran amid the conflict between the two countries.

The suspects were detained on Sunday morning on suspicion of the “preparation of a terrorist act”. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Monday that the UK must be prepared to “confront” all security threats facing Europe and the world, adding: “We will act against the proxies of Iran.”

Iran’s embassy in London said that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets”, asserting that the accusations would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in Britain.

Iran reserves the right to “take appropriate legal measures”, it added.

British police have not thus far linked Iran to the arrests as Counter Terrorism Policing continues investigating.

British security officials are exploring “multiple lines of enquiry” on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and “preparation of a terrorist act”.

The UK government gave the US authorisation to use bombers based at the RAF Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, a source familiar with the investigation said an Iranian-linked motive is considered the most likely, while a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had said in July that the Fairford base was a legitimate target.

British police arrested the five men after receiving a tip that three suspicious vehicles appeared to be heading towards the base in southwest England.

In their statement on Monday, the counterterrorism police identified the men as British nationals aged 23 to 25 from London.

On Monday afternoon, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing said the five were being released on bail “following extensive interviews and inquiries”.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor added: “To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others”.

US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to ‌do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and US authorities “for a long time, and we got them”.

⁠UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham ⁠was due on Monday to chair a meeting of the COBRA emergency ‌response team as British authorities continue to investigate the incident.