Iran summons British ambassador amid RAF base row, Foreign Ministry says

• Tehran denies any involvement in the incident. 
• The UK says a police investigation into the incident is continuing.

 Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran on Tuesday over what it called "accusations" linking the country to a suspected plot against RAF Fairford air base in Britain, Iran's Foreign Ministry said.

The summons followed a statement on Monday by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who said the plot was "highly likely" to have been coordinated in Iran. Tehran denied any link to the incident.

The ministry said its director general for Western Europe told the ambassador that Britain must quickly provide documents and evidence supporting its accusations. The ministry warned that otherwise Iran would "seriously reconsider its bilateral relations" with Britain.

Iranian state news agency IRNA identified the ambassador as Hugo Shorter. It said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Yousefi received him and conveyed Tehran's strong protest. Shorter said he would pass Tehran's position on to the British authorities.

The incident

The incident occurred on Sep. 27 near RAF Fairford, an air base used by US bombers during strikes on Iran. The base, which hosts US Air Force operations, has supported missions against Iran since February amid the wider Middle East war. British police arrested five men near the base on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses and later released them on bail.

Burnham said earlier that there was a "strong indication" Iran had played a role. He stressed that the case remained a complex and very serious police investigation. Iran's embassy in London rejected the speculation as unfounded and malicious, and Tehran summoned Shorter at least once before, according to Middle East Monitor, citing Iranian state media. The UK foreign secretary has also summoned Iran's ambassador in London over the alleged plot.

Read more: UK summons Iranian ambassador after airbase incident