London, UK – May 4, 2025
In a dramatic escalation of tensions between the United Kingdom and Iran, seven Iranian nationals have been arrested in connection with alleged terrorist plots and threats to national security, British police confirmed on Sunday.
The arrests—described by authorities as part of two separate but high-priority counterterrorism investigations—have raised alarms across the country and reignited fears of state-sponsored attacks.
In the first operation, five men aged 29 to 46, including four Iranian nationals, were apprehended in London, Swindon, and Greater Manchester. Authorities say they were planning to target a specific premises. The Iranian suspects were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man was held under general criminal investigation laws.
“This is a fast-moving investigation,” said Dominic Murphy, head of Counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police. “We’re examining various motivations and assessing whether there’s any continued risk to the public.”
Just hours later, a second wave of arrests rocked the capital. Three more Iranian nationals, aged 39, 44, and 55, were arrested in London under the National Security Act—a law introduced in 2023 to crack down on foreign interference and espionage.
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The Metropolitan Police stressed that the two investigations are not connected, though both clearly point toward Iranian-linked activity on UK soil.
These developments come amid heightened national security fears, following MI5’s chilling revelation last year that the UK had thwarted over 20 Iran-backed plots since 2022. These plots were labeled by British intelligence as “potentially lethal.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper labeled the threat as “serious and evolving,” affirming that the government is working closely with security agencies to “keep the country safe.”
This isn’t the first time the UK has confronted Iran-related threats:
- In 2023, an Austrian national was jailed for conducting hostile surveillance on the London headquarters of Iran International, an opposition broadcaster.
- In 2024, a journalist of Iranian origin working for the same network was stabbed in broad daylight.
- In February 2025, a former British soldier received a 14-year sentence for spying for Iran.
Tehran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the plots and has accused the UK of harboring “terrorist” groups. In March, Iran summoned the British ambassador to lodge a formal protest, and in October, Iranian officials publicly denounced the UK for allegedly supporting anti-Iranian organizations.
As the UK steps up its internal defenses, the question remains: How deep does the threat go, and what other plots are waiting to unfold?
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