After Arrests, Explosions, and Accusations... Iran Comments on the Incident at the Air Base in Britain

- The Iranian authorities denied on Monday any connection to the events near the "Fairford" airbase of the British Royal Air Force, which is used by American long-range bombers in the war against Iran. The Iranian embassy in London stated that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent baseless speculations that involve malice, published by some individuals and British media in an attempt to link Iran to the arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of the 'Fairford' airbase."

The embassy continued in a statement that "the circulation of such fabricated speculations... will achieve no purpose other than fueling the existing propaganda based on 'Iranophobia' in the United Kingdom."

The statement indicated that Iran "reserves the right to take appropriate legal action, as necessary." British police reported that five men were arrested on suspicion of involvement in a terrorist plot to attack the airbase in England, and they are British citizens.

A statement issued by the counter-terrorism police mentioned that these five men reside in London and are aged between 23 and 25 years, noting the presence of "new and multiple lines of investigation." The men - whose identities have not been disclosed - were arrested early on Sunday near the 'Fairford' airbase in western England, which is the base from which American B-1 bombers launch missions against Iran.

British authorities did not disclose the location where the men are being held, nor what was found inside three white vans believed to have been used by them. Aerial footage taken on Sunday showed a bomb disposal robot moving between the vans in a wooded area near the base; the back doors of two of the vans were open, and large black objects were seen scattered on the ground nearby.

Later, the teams of the Afaq News Network, located in the area, heard what seemed to be the sound of two controlled explosions coming from the direction of the village where the trucks were found. In response to a question about whether a hostile foreign state was behind the incident, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said on Monday that he did not "wish to speculate at this stage of the investigation."

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard had specifically pointed out in July that American bombers were using the "Fairford" base, warning the United Kingdom that "any base used to launch aggression against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces." U.S. President Donald Trump described the arrests as "fantastic," noting that the United States and the United Kingdom had been investigating these men for a "long time."

Trump told reporters in Chicago: "It was an amazing job working with Britain. They were planning to cause serious damage to our base, and the cooperation with the Brits yielded excellent results."

He said: "We kept them under surveillance for a long time, and we were able to apprehend them." British authorities did not comment on the U.S. president's statement.

It is also unclear whether the five men were under surveillance before they arrived in the "Fairford" area in the early hours of Sunday. In March, the British government granted the U.S. Air Force permission to use Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites that had been used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

After months, the United Kingdom announced that its armed forces are on high alert to protect the country from any attack, following a warning issued by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard regarding allowing American bombers to take off from British bases.