A pair from Iran and Romania are facing charges after trying to break into the Faslane nuclear submarine base. The case raises tensions over a possible Iranian threat in Britain.
An Iranian man and a Romanian woman have been charged with trying to break into a Royal Navy base in northwest Britain that houses British nuclear submarines, Scottish police said on Saturday. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- An Iranian man and a Romanian woman wanted to break into a naval base.
- Both were arrested near the Faslane base in Scotland.
- The accused will appear in court in Dumbarton.
- Britain fears Iranian espionage and attacks.
The pair were detained on Thursday while trying to break into the Faslane naval base in Scotland, which is home to all of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines, including four ballistic missile-equipped Vanguard-class submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles.
“A 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old Romanian woman have been arrested and charged in connection with this incident,” Police Scotland said in a statement. They are due to appear in court in the Scottish town of Dumbarton on Monday, she added.
They fear an attack from Iran
British police, domestic counter-intelligence agency MI5 and members of parliament have long warned of the growing threat of Iranian espionage in Britain. There are fears in the country that it could become a target for attacks because of its role in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
London also on Friday authorized US forces to use the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base in Gloucestershire and the British naval base Diego García in the Indian Ocean – to attack Iranian targets threatening the vital sea route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi subsequently accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “endangering British lives” by authorizing the use of the bases “for aggression against Iran.”
