The British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, stated this Wednesday that there are "clear indications" of Iran's involvement in the incident recorded last Sunday near the Fairford airbase, a facility that houses personnel from the United States Army and that the authorities are treating as a "terrorist" episode.
"There are clear indications that Iran had something to do with what happened this weekend at the Royal Air Force base in Fairford. We will provide more details in due time, but we can confirm that we believe Iran had something to do with it," he pointed out in an interview with the BBC, in which he insisted that the Executive is keeping the investigation open.
The leader specified, however, that the investigations continue and described them as "complex and serious," while emphasizing that, in this context, the British authorities are "working closely" with the United States to clarify what happened at the base used by American forces.
Burnham explained that "I have held --and it is still ongoing-- a meeting of the Government's crisis and emergency committee while I have been here, at the Liverpool conference. We are aware of everything in all imaginable aspects," before highlighting the "exceptional work" carried out by the anti-terrorist Police in the framework of this case.
The Prime Minister's words have received a swift response from Tehran. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, reacted on his social media, reproaching Burnham that "(you) are going down the wrong path" and directly questioning the accusations made by London.
"I can confirm Iran's opinion that the release of alleged terrorists working for foreign states says it all," Araqchi added, resorting to expressions from the Labour leader himself to defend the stance of the Islamic Republic against the British allegations.
The statements come after the detention on Sunday of five men, all British citizens aged between 23 and 25, accused of preparing a terrorist attack. The suspects were released on bail the following day, although the Police have emphasized that their movements have been restricted and that they remain under investigation.
At the same time, the Iranian Embassy in the United Kingdom has outright rejected these "baseless and malicious speculations," which, it claims, only seek to fuel "Iranophobia" in British territory and further deteriorate bilateral relations.
The Fairford military base has recently hosted the deployment of American bombers in the context of the open conflict in the Middle East following the offensive launched by the United States and Israel, which has increased its strategic relevance and the international focus on any incident in the area.