An Iranian man and a woman have been arrested after allegedly attempting to gain entry to the Faslane naval base, home to the UK’s nuclear-armed submarines, amid the ongoing Iran -US-Israel conflict.
A report by Sky News mentioned that the woman is Romanian.
Police Scotland reportedly said the man aged 34-year-old and the woman aged 31-year-old woman were detained at HM Naval Base Clyde at around 17:00(local time) on Thursday.
Royal Navy said the pair had “unsuccessfully attempted” to access the facility near Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, reported BBC.
The man and the woman are due to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday – as per a statement from the force. It also mentioned that enquiries are currently underway.
Where is Faslane naval base?
Located on Gare Loch, about 25 miles (40km) north-west of Glasgow, the Faslane base houses all of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines, including the UK’s four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines which carry Trident nuclear missiles.
The arrests come amid the ongoing US-Iran-Israel conflict – which has crossed its third week.
Israel-US-Iran conflict
Iran launched a wave of retaliatory attacks after US, Israel jointly attacked the Islamic Republic on Saturday, 28 February. Explosions were reported across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, among other key Middle Eastern bases which are also home to US military bases.
The Islamic Republic has also been attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz – which serves as a critical oil transit corridor. It is a key route for roughly a quarter of the world’s liquefied natural gas and seaborne exports from Gulf nations to global markets.
UK allows US to use bases to strike Strait of Hormuz targets
On Friday, 21 March – the UK agreed to allow the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, reported BBC.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously allowed US forces to use the bases only for defensive operations, aimed at preventing Iranian missile attacks that could threaten British lives or interests.
US President Donald Trump reportedly claimed the UK “should have acted a lot faster”, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed Sir Keir was “putting British lives in danger”.
