Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that the government believes Iran played a part in the RAF Fairford incident. Five men were arrested in connection with the incident and subsequently released on bail.
Mr Burnham told the BBC, "We will say more in due course but we can confirm... that we believe Iran to have played a part." He did not provide further details regarding Iran's alleged involvement. Tehran has strongly denied any part in the incident.
The five men, all UK nationals aged between 23 and 25, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after police were alerted to "three suspicious vehicles" near the base. Police found a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices during searches of their vans. Mr Burnham insisted the men were subject to the "strictest possible bail conditions" following their release, a decision questioned by US President Donald Trump.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated on Monday that the incident "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor." The RAF Fairford base has been used by the US Air Force for decades, and US bombers have recently taken off from there for the Middle East following UK approval for what the US called defensive strikes on Iran. In July, Iran had stated that "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces."