US warns of 'extremely difficult' Iran peace deal as UK arrests intelligence suspects

Two men have been rearrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service, in connection with an incident that occurred last month at RAF Fairford. The individuals, identified as a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, were taken into custody on Tuesday, October 20, under Section 3 of the 2023 National Security Act. They had previously been arrested in late September and early October, then released on bail pending further investigation.

The arrests are part of an ongoing and complex investigation into a suspected plot at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run airbase in England that has been utilized for strikes on Iran during the current year's conflict. Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK has stated that it is "highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement" in the incident. The initial September event saw police find gasoline in three vans near the base, though no explosives were discovered.

These re-arrests bring the total number of individuals apprehended in the wider inquiry to seven, with five other men currently out on bail. While British Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously suggested the plot was "almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard," Iran has consistently denied any involvement.