MI5 chief says Iran targeting military sites, suspected plot at RAF Fairford 'not unique'
MI5 chief Ken McCallum has warned that Iran is increasingly targeting military sites in the U.K. and globally. This follows a suspected plot involving an accelerant at RAF Fairford, which authorities believe was directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Why it matters
The shift toward targeting military infrastructure marks a significant escalation in geopolitical tensions between the U.K. and Iran, signaling a new era of national security threats.
Iran is trying to hit military sites in the U.K. and the suspected plot to attack a U.S.-run military air base in September is “not unique," the head of Britain's MI5 spy agency said on Tuesday (October 13, 2026).
Ken McCallum, who leads the UK's domestic security service, said Tehran is seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country's Islamic authorities.
That has included arson and sabotage attacks on Jewish sites that Britain says were carried out by Iranian proxies.
Mr. McCallum said another “major shift this year has been Iranian ambitions to come at harder targets, like military sites.”
The incident at RAF Fairford “is not unique. There have been other examples, not just in the UK but around the world,” Mr. McCallum said.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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