UK Police Release On Bail 5 Men Held Over Air Base Incident

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29 Sep 2026, 10:53 GMT+10

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08:05

UK Police Release On Bail 5 Men Held Over Air Base Incident

British police released five men on bail on September 28 after arresting them near RAF Fairford, an airbase in Gloucestershire used by the United States in operations against Iran, as authorities investigated a suspected terrorism plot and whether a foreign state may have been involved.

The men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, were detained early on September 27 after a member of the public reported suspicious vehicles and masked individuals near the base. Police said they were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives offenses and later on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. They remain under investigation and are subject to conditions while inquiries continue.

Counterterrorism police said investigators were pursuing several lines of inquiry, including whether the suspects may have been acting knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state. No country has been publicly identified by British police.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident appeared to involve "the hands of a foreign actor," without providing further details. President Donald Trump said he was surprised that the suspects had been released on bail and that he would not have taken the same approach.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on September 28 to assess the incident and ensure officials had a full understanding of the investigation.

Iran has denied any involvement in the suspected plot, rejecting claims linking Tehran to the incident as unfounded.

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07:41

In New Statement, Khamenei Says Iran Will 'Protect' Strait Of Hormuz

As reports emerged about efforts to resume talks between Iran and the United States, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement released by his office that Iran remained committed to preserving the "blessed Strait of Hormuz."

The statement came amid an ongoing military and diplomatic confrontation between the two countries. The conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, after which Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

Khamenei said various sectors of Iranian society were maintaining their positions, including on preserving the strategic waterway.

His remarks came as oil flows through the strait have increased in recent weeks with US military assistance. US President Donald Trump told Axios on September 27 that more than 20 million barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. A US defense official told Axios that 22 million barrels had moved through the waterway on the night of September 25-26.

Iranian oil exports, meanwhile, have been sharply curtailed by a US naval blockade imposed in July. Reuters reported that Iranian crude loadings had fallen from about 2 million barrels per day in March to roughly 220,000255,000 barrels per day in August.

Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since the start of the war, also said the United States would eventually be forced to leave the Middle East after suffering what he described as "painful blows." He said US forces would soon be unable to venture beyond the Arabian Sea.

The Arabian Sea stretches from the Arabian Peninsula eastward toward India and forms a major maritime corridor connecting the region with the waters off Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

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00:17

Trump Denies Offering Iran Sanctions Relief, Release Of Frozen Funds

US President Donald Trump denied he had offered sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions from Tehran after a media publication claimed the president was "willing" to make such moves.

"This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING," Trump wrote onTruth Social,after Axios reported that he was willing to provide the relief in return for nuclear concessions amid fresh indirect talks on September 28.

"Axios story, like most others, is a HOAX, used only for purposes of satisfying their Trump Derangement Syndrome. They should withdraw this fake story, IMMEDIATELY!" he wrote.

TheAxios storycited unnamed US officials.

CNN, citing an unidentified US official, also reported that Trump was willing to offer sanctions relief and release frozen funds as part of a final deal, on the condition that Tehran provide "concrete progress" on the nuclear issue.

Earlier, Trump told reporters that US officials had spoken on September 28 with mediators seeking to end the US war with Iran and added that the US would win the war "very soon."

US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 28.

"We're going to win, as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be one way or the other," Trump said. "It's going to go pretty quickly."

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran has presented a proposal to mediators for a "peaceful solution" to the war, but he added that conditions stressed by Iran's supreme leader "must be implemented" for the crucial Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.

According to Iranian state media, Araqchi said he hopes to get a final response through Qatari mediators on September 29.

"If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution," Araqchi said, speaking in New York on the sidelines of UN General Assembly activities.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement released by his office that Iran insists on being a custodian of the strait.

In the statement, Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since being elected to the position in March, declared that Iran will not be forced back to the era the enemy wants it to be in.

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23:11

28.9.2026

Netanyahu's Office Acknowledges Rare Secret Trip To UAE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the United Arab Emirates and met with the president, Netanyahu's office and the UAE said in a rare public acknowledgement at a time of high tensions between Israel and many Gulf Arab nations over the Gaza war.

Abu Dhabi acknowledged the September 27 meeting between Muhammad bin Zayed al Nahyan and Netanyahu, confirming earlier Israeli media reports.

"The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them," the Emirati statement read.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (file photo)

Netanyahu's office said the visit "focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges" amid delicate US-backed diplomacy on the Iran war.

The visit comes amid media reports, denied by Netanyahu, that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu ahead of Hamas's October 7, 2023, deadly attack on Israel. That attack led to Israeli strikes against Hamas -- a US- and Israeli-designated terror group -- in Gaza.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu went to the UAE to ask the Emirate leader to deny having given him that warning in 2023.

Netanyahu has acknowledged previous trips to the UAE, with which Israel normalized relations with the 2020 Abraham Accords.

Last week, Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, disclosed that Tel Aviv had shared its air defense system with the UAE, sending Iron Dome batteries and specialists to operate them during the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Theres an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel, Huckabee said.

The UAE, along with neighboring Saudi Arabia, is a Sunni-Muslim led nation and a bitter regional rival of Shi'ite majority Iran.

With reporting by AFP and The GuardianShare

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21:51

28.9.2026

Iraqi Airways Flights Between Najaf And Iranian Airports Resume

Iraqi state news agency INA reported on September 28 that Iraqi Airways has resumed flights between the city of Najaf and Iranian airports.

Hours earlier, Reuters cited an American official saying that the US government was set to issue a limited exemption from the Iran sanctions program to allow flights carrying Shi'ite pilgrims between Iran and Iraq.

The Reuters source, said to be involved in negotiations related to the decision, said the US Treasury Department waiver allows Iraqi Airways to operate round-trip flights between Iran and the city of Najaf for one month.

The report said the move is aimed at reducing pressure on the Iraqi government, which is trying to deepen ties with Washington while also maintaining its close ties with Iran.

The Iraqi prime minister's office announced earlier that Baghdad is seeking exemptions from US restrictions on travel between Iran and Iraq for medical, educational, and pilgrimage purposes.

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20:14

28.9.2026

Supreme Leader Releases Statement Reasserting Irans Role In The Strait of Hormuz

As reports emerged about efforts to resume talks between Iran and the United States, Irans Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement released by his office that Iran insists on being a custodian of the Strait of Hormuz.

Shortly after the start of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in February this year, Irans forces imposed a blockade on the strategic waterway by attacking commercial ships, leaving hundreds of cargo vessels stranded.

In recent weeks, media reports and shipping data show that the amount of oil flowing through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz has increased with the support of the US military.

At the same time, Iranian oil exports have been greatly reduced due to the US-imposed naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Videograb from footage released by Iranian media on August 24, 2026.

The new Iranian leader, who has not been seen in public since being elected to the position in March, has claimed that the United States will be forced to leave the Middle East after suffering "painful blows."

In the statement attributed to Khamenei and published by Iranian state media on September 28, he declared that Iran will not be forced back to the era the enemy wants it to be in.

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16:38

28.9.2026

Iranian FM To Meet With Qatari Negotiators In NY

Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was set to meet with Qatari mediators in New York on September 28 to discuss the latest proposals and positions concerning the ongoing war with the United States.

The mediators were expected to hold separate discussions with US representatives on September 28 or 29, according to an official familiar with the negotiations, as diplomatic efforts continue to find a way to end the war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi

The talks are expected to focus on a revised version of a seven-day proposal submitted by Tehran last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Araqchi remains in New York following the General Assembly meetings. It was not immediately clear who would represent Washington in discussions with the mediators.

Irans proposed framework calls for a halt to hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports.

In return, Tehran would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, while negotiations between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear program would resume.

US President Donald Trump said on September 26 that he had rejected Iran's proposal, arguing that Tehran was seeking a rapid agreement because of mounting economic pressure. However, he told Axios on September 27 that he expected US negotiators to take part in further discussions this week.

Araqchi said on September 27 that mediators had not formally informed Tehran of a US rejection. He added that Iran was waiting for Washington to communicate its definitive position before deciding how to proceed.

Iran's foreign minister reiterated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would depend on Tehran's conditions being met, adding that a negotiated settlement was the only way to resolve the impasse.

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15:37

28.9.2026

Iran Rejects Attempts To Link Tehran To Air Base Terror Plot

Iran on September 28 denied any involvement in the suspected terror plot incident near the RAF Fairford airbase in England.

The Iranian Embassy in London rejected "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Tehran to the incident over the weekend, in which five British nationals were arrested near the air base and improvised explosive devices were discovered in vans that residents had reported as suspicious.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" attempts to connect Iran to the arrests. Such speculation, it added, would only serve to "fuel Iranophobia propaganda" in Britain.

British police have not linked Iran to the arrests, and counterterrorism police said that an investigation was under way.

With reporting by ReutersShare

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10:10

28.9.2026

UK Police Probe Possible Iran Link After Explosives Found Near RAF Fairford

Armed police officers stand guards on a road outside the perimeter of the RAF Fairford airbase on September 28.

British counterterrorism police were examining a possible Iranian connection to a suspected terrorism plot uncovered near RAF Fairford, as new details emerge about how five men were arrested close to the air base, which has been used by US forces in operations against Iran.

The men were detained early on September 27 after a local resident reportedly spotted three suspicious vans and a group of masked men near Whelford and called emergency services. Investigators subsequently found materials in the vehicles that were reportedly consistent with improvised explosive devices, although checks were continuing to establish whether any suspected devices were viable.

One of the vans reportedly carried "FUEL 2YOU" branding and a telephone number. A registered fuel company using a similar name has said the vehicle was not connected to its business and that its name had apparently been used without permission.

Photographs circulating on September 28 appear to show the five suspects shirtless and handcuffed. The Guardian reported that removing their clothing may have been a precaution against concealed weapons or suicide vests, although this has not been established by police.

A local councillor, Tristan Wilkinson, told Reuters on September 27 that authorities had been aware of a specific threat against RAF Fairford from Iran about six weeks earlier. He said surveillance around the area had been increased at the time.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting cautioned against drawing conclusions. Asked about possible Iranian involvement, he said on September 28 it was "far too early to comment or speculate" and that doing so would be "irresponsible." He said he had spoken with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that Britain was working closely with the United States.

The investigation follows the September 27 evacuation of around 85 households and the establishment of a 400-meter cordon while bomb-disposal teams examined the vans. Police say the five men remain in custody and the investigation is continuing.

British media have reported that security measures have been tightened at other bases used by the United States in the country, including Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

The incident comes amid growing concerns about the actions of hostile foreign countries.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has accused Iran and Russia of using proxies to carry out criminal activities on their behalf on British soil.

Earlier this month, reports emerged indicating that British military bases and facilities had been targeted by drones more than 300 times over the past year.

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02:57

28.9.2026

Middle East Oil Exports Rise, But Still Down From Prewar

Data showed that crude oil exports from key Middle East producers have recovered in September to 12.8 million barrels a day -- the highest level since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran at the end of February.

Figures released on September 28 by commodity analytics firm Kpler showed that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led the rise in exports.

Exports from the region -- including those from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran -- although experiencing a rebound, are still some 6 million bpd down from 18.8 million bpd in February, according to Kpler.

With reporting by ReutersShare