Iran denies link to UK airbase bomb scare

• Police confirmed all five men are British nationals in their 20s from London (Westminster, Camden, and Willesden).
• Armed police seized three vans near the base containing materials consistent with improvised explosive devices, deploying bomb robots to evaluate viability.
• Investigators initially explored foreign state links due to RAF Fairford's strategic role in US strikes against Iran, but stress no definitive motive has been established.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London has categorically rejected any connection to five men arrested near RAF Fairford airbase in Britain, strongly condemning media reports linking Tehran to the suspects as "unfounded and malicious."

In an official statement published on X, the embassy denounced what it termed "fabricated speculations" by news outlets. Tehran asserted that such allegations serve "no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK." 

The embassy added that Iran reserves the right to pursue appropriate legal measures to safeguard its national interests against damaging media narratives.

The denunciation follows an update from British Counter Terrorism Policing confirming that the five men arrested near the Gloucestershire airbase are all British nationals in their 20s residing in London. Officers revealed that three of the men are aged 24, one is 25, and one is 23, with residences in Westminster, Camden, and Willesden.

During the ongoing operation, counter-terrorism officers and army bomb disposal units examined three white vans parked minutes from the airbase, discovering materials consistent with improvised explosive devices. 

Army bomb robots were deployed to test the viability of the devices, while emergency services evacuated 85 households from the nearby village of Whelford to a leisure center in Cirencester, maintaining a 400-meter security cordon backed by military resources.

The operation was initiated early Sunday morning after a member of the public spotted three suspicious vehicles heading toward the base at 12:45 a.m. and dialed emergency services. Armed officers responded and arrested the five men near Whelford on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and Section 5 of the Terrorism Act (preparation of a terrorist act).

Police secured a custody extension through Monday, with Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans emphasizing that officers require space to conduct the complex investigation.

Initial scrutiny regarding potential foreign state links, including a possible Iranian connection, stemmed from RAF Fairford’s role as a launch facility for US air operations against Iran, coupled with warnings issued in July by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) designating any base facilitating strikes on Iranian soil as a "legitimate target". 

However, following the identification of the suspects as British nationals, authorities reaffirmed that no motive has been formally established and all lines of inquiry remain open.