On Wednesday, 30 September 2026, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran was involved in suspicious activity near RAF Fairford, the UK airbase used by the US military, which sparked a major security alert.
“Of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation,” Burnham told the BBC.
Speaking to Sky News, Burnham added: “We have been waiting to confirm what we could say, but we can now confirm our belief that Iran played a part.”
His remarks represent the first official indication from UK authorities that Iran may have been behind the incident, though officials have not explained the nature of the threat.
The security alert unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, when three white vans appeared to be heading toward RAF Fairford. A local resident who called police said she saw a group of masked men near the vans, which were blocking a road in a village next to the base.
Police arrested five British men on Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, but later released them on bail.
After three days of investigations that included deploying a bomb disposal team, police said no explosives had been found in the vehicles, although they had recovered a “quantity of petrol”.
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously suggested that intelligence services were aware of the suspects and that a foreign state could be involved, but UK officials had until now not commented.
Speculation had mounted that Iran or another hostile state could be responsible, after Tehran warned London against allowing its military bases to be used by Washington.