Scottish police said on Friday that two people were arrested after attempting to enter a Royal Navy base that houses the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet, with UK media reporting that one of the suspects is an Iranian national.
Police Scotland said officers were alerted at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, to two individuals trying to gain access to HM Naval Base Clyde.
“A 34-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing,” the force said, without providing further details.
A Royal Navy spokesman confirmed that the pair had “unsuccessfully attempted” to enter the facility, commonly known as Faslane, adding that no further comment would be made while the investigation continues.
The base is home to the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent, including four submarines armed with Trident ballistic missiles, and has long been a focal point for anti-nuclear protests.
Earlier this month, the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament staged a demonstration outside the site.
The incident comes amid heightened concern among British authorities over Iranian-linked threats. UK police, the MI5 intelligence service, and members of parliament have repeatedly warned of growing espionage activity tied to Tehran.
In October 2025, MI5 chief Ken McCallum said security agencies had disrupted “more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots” in the preceding year.
Tensions have risen further following the UK’s decision to allow the United States to use military bases at Fairford in southwest England and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in operations related to its conflict with Iran—moves the British government has described as “defensive.”
On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned Iran against targeting UK interests during a phone call with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, according to the Foreign Office.
Tehran has said that permitting U.S. use of British bases would amount to “participation in aggression” against the Islamic Republic.
