// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
More questions than answers after major incident near RAF Fairford
A major incident was declared and five men arrested near the base after "suspicious vehicles" were seen driving towards it, police said
RAF Fairford is a slice of America in the heart of England; a forward operating base for the US Air Force since the Cold War.
Its two-mile runway is so long it was once an emergency backup for the US space shuttle programme.
Now it is a vital launchpad for the vast, lumbering bombers President Donald Trump uses to strike Iran, the only airbase with such capabilities available to the US in Europe.
And that – by definition – has long made it a potential target.
What we know about RAF Fairford counter-terror probe
Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford
In July, Iran's foreign ministry accused the UK of being complicit in war crimes for allowing the US to use Fairford as a staging post for defensive strikes in its war against Tehran.
And it warned "any party that, in any manner, participates in military aggression against Iran will bear responsibility for the consequences and repercussions of its decision".
There is also a stalemate in diplomatic efforts to end the war. That has given rise to speculation Iran could seek to step up pressure on the US, perhaps with an attack outside the Middle East, to try to shift the dial ahead of the US midterm elections in November.