MI5 reports more than 50 arrests in Iran-related cases — The National

Ken McCallum, director general of the British counterintelligence service MI5, said that more than 50 people had been detained in the United Kingdom over the past 12 months as part of Iran-related operations. According to him, Iran has begun pursuing more complex targets, including military facilities.

As The National reports, McCallum described this as a significant change in the nature of the threats. He also said that the number of all threats from states, including Russia and China, had increased fourfold. He named interconnected financial systems, energy grids, supply chains and manufacturing capacity among vulnerable areas.

Suspicion regarding RAF Fairford

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that Tehran was “highly likely” to be behind an alleged plot against RAF Fairford airbase. The base was used by US bombers to strike Iran after the war began in February.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

According to the outlet, the incident prompted an alert, after which US President Donald Trump withdrew American aircraft from the airbase. Seven people were detained in the case on suspicion of involvement. Last week, another two suspects were detained near RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, which, according to The National, is used by US intelligence services.

European Union statement

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas expressed support for the British government following Burnham's statement. She said that the United Kingdom had concluded that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was almost certainly involved in the threat to RAF Fairford.

Kallas noted that the European Union had already designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for undermining freedom of navigation and serious human rights violations.