British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom government believes Iran “played a part” in the weekend incident near RAF Fairford, a military base that also houses U.S. forces.
Five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offenses after an eyewitness reported them driving toward the installation, as reported [1] by Trending Politics News.
The prime minister delivered the alarming assessment Wednesday while speaking with reporters at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
His comments added the prospect of Iranian involvement to an already serious counterterrorism investigation involving British authorities and their American counterparts.
“There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation. And of course, we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America,” Burnham said.
BREAKING: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham officially accuses Iran of involvement in the RAF Fairford incident
Despite that the UK authorities announced that it was just random thieves smuggling oil and they were released. pic.twitter.com/tkhARyKDih [2]
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) September 30, 2026 [3]
Burnham offered no detailed public account of the evidence pointing toward Tehran.
He made clear, however, that the government was prepared to confirm its belief even as investigators continued examining what happened near the base.
“We will say more in due course, but we can confirm our belief that we believe Iran to have played a part.”
When pressed about the basis for that assessment, Burnham declined to disclose the underlying details.
“Well I can’t go into all of those details, but obviously I wouldn’t say it lightly,” he added.
The comment left the precise nature of the suspected Iranian role undisclosed while emphasizing the seriousness of the government’s conclusion.
Burnham also confirmed the government’s position during a separate interview and thanked Gloucestershire police and counterterrorism police for their work.
Burnham took office this past summer following the resignation of Kier Starmer.
The incident began on the morning of September 27, when police received calls concerning three suspicious white vans near Whelford, a village adjacent to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
One of the five men who was later arrested had made an initial emergency call.
A resident in the area separately reported seeing masked men near the vehicles. Armed officers subsequently arrested five British nationals from London, all between the ages of 23 and 25.
Four of the men were from Westminster, while the fifth was from Camden.
Police initially arrested them on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
Authorities evacuated about 85 homes and established a cordon extending 400 meters around the area.
Military explosive ordnance disposal teams examined the vans with equipment that included a bomb disposal robot.
Police reported Tuesday that the examinations found no improvised explosive devices inside the vehicles.
Investigators did, however, recover a quantity of gasoline, while searches were also conducted at properties in London linked to the arrested men.
The five men were released on police bail Monday under stringent conditions restricting their movement and contact. They remain under investigation, and no charges have been filed against them.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said the decision to grant bail was grounded in operational experience.
He also said investigators were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including whether any individuals acted knowingly or unknowingly as proxies for a foreign state.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio likewise pointed to possible foreign involvement in the episode. Rubio said the incident “clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor,” although exact details remained limited as of the report.
The investigation therefore remains active on both the terrorism and possible foreign state fronts.
Burnham has promised further updates, but for now British authorities have publicly placed Iran at the center of their suspicions while police continue working through the evidence.