LONDON — The British prime minister has said there are indications Iran was behind a suspected drone plot at RAF Fairford, the English air base from which the United States recently withdrew its B-1 bombers over alleged Iranian threats, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Five balaclava-wearing men were arrested in woods near the base with three vans and barrels of fuel in what officials described as a ham-handed sabotage attempt, the Journal reported. The men have not been charged and are on bail, but Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were indications Iran was involved.
The incident prompted Washington to pull its heavy bombers several thousand miles further from Iran — a move President Donald Trump said was driven by threats, and one the Journal described as an inexpensive win for Tehran if it was behind the plot. The United States has launched heavy bombers from Fairford since World War II.
The British government has announced about £470 million, or roughly $620 million, in additional investment to secure military bases against drone threats. The defense ministry recorded more than 250 drone incidents near U.K. military sites in 2025, double the number in 2024, and a defense minister told a conference this month that too little had been invested in protecting bases.
Security officials remain skeptical that Iran could execute a sophisticated drone operation like Ukraine’s “Spiderweb” attack, which damaged dozens of Russian warplanes with cheap drones. Tehran’s record in Britain, officials said, mostly involves hiring local criminals to attack dissidents or set fire to Jewish targets.
The episode is the latest sign of how the seven-month U.S.-Iran war is spilling beyond the battlefield. Iran and Washington have exchanged proposals to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Vice President JD Vance told Reuters this week that Tehran must make what he called a “meaningful” cut to its uranium enrichment for any deal to work.
