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U.K. PM: "Strong indications" Iran had role in bomb plot

Rebecca Falconer

Portrait of a man, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with dark hair and glasses, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and green tie, against a solid magenta background. — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, England, on Wednesday. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are "strong indications that Iran played a part" in a suspected bomb plot at a British air base used by the U.S.

The big picture: Burnham's comments to the BBC come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the weekend incident at RAF Fairford "clearly involves the hands ‌of a foreign actor." Tehran denies any involvement.

Five British men were released on bail Monday following their arrest a day earlier in connection with the alleged plot.

What they're saying: "We will say more in due course but we can confirm ... that we believe Iran to have played a part," Burnham told the BBC, declining to elaborate.

He emphasized that the counter-terrorism investigation is ongoing and "complex" and that investigators are "working closely with our colleagues" in the U.S.
Rubio told Fox News Monday that the incident "ties us to the reality here, and that is we are dealing with elements in the world — and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally."

Context: U.K. earlier this year allowed the U.S. Air Force to use RAF Fairford for limited defensive strikes against Iranian missile capabilities.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps named RAF Fairford in July when it said that any British base used for attacks on Iranian territory would be considered a "legitimate target."

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U.K. PM: "Strong indications" Iran had role in bomb plot

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