Tehran Rejects UK Claims Linking Iran to Fairford Incident

By Staff, Agencies

Iran has denied any connection to the incident at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, dismissing speculation linking Tehran to the case as “Iranophobia.”

On Saturday night, police arrested five men traveling in three white vans near the military airbase in Gloucestershire after a farmer alerted authorities. The men were detained on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, prompting police to cordon off the area and evacuate more than 80 homes.

According to the BBC, a bomb disposal team used a remotely controlled robot to inspect the vans, which were parked in a wooded area.

However, the five men were released on bail the following day after what Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, described as “extensive interviews and enquiries.” No suspicious materials were found.

Meanwhile, Taylor said investigators were examining whether the alleged offense involved proxies or individuals knowingly or unknowingly acting on behalf of a foreign state, including Russia, Iran or an Islamist state, Reuters reported, citing an anonymous security source.

Iran’s mission in London categorically rejected what it called “unfounded and malicious speculations” attempting to link Iran to the arrests, warning that such claims would only “fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK.”

The allegations come as Britain has intensified its war-related rhetoric, with the BBC recently publishing an article titled “Are you psychologically prepared for war?” while Sky UK aired The Wargame, a reality program featuring politicians developing strategies in a simulated conflict involving Russia.

Although Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] warned in July that the UK would become a “definite and legitimate target” if it supported the US bombing campaign, Tehran has not claimed responsibility for attacks outside the Middle East.

Iran has, however, launched missiles and drones at Gulf states, describing them as legitimate targets for retaliation because they host US bases used to launch attacks against Iran.