The UK has summoned the Iranian ambassador following the charging of two individuals under national security legislation after an alleged attempt to enter Faslane.
In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the ambassador, Seyed Ali Mousavi, was called in on the instruction of the Foreign Secretary and met with Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer, after two people were charged on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
An FCDO spokesperson said “national security remains our top priority, and we take threats posed by Iran and those who do its bidding extremely seriously,” adding that the government would take “all measures necessary to protect the British people, including exposing Iran’s reckless and destabilising actions at home and abroad.”
The move follows the arrest of a 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old Romanian woman after an alleged attempt to enter HM Naval Base Clyde, the UK’s nuclear submarine facility at Faslane.
The Crown Office later confirmed that the Iranian man had been released pending further inquiries, with the case remaining “live and under consideration,” while prosecutors decided there would be no proceedings against the woman based on the available evidence.
“The Procurator Fiscal received a report concerning a 34-year-old man in connection with an alleged incident on 19 March 2026. After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, he was liberated from custody pending further inquiries and did not appear in court. The case against him remains live and under consideration.”
Police Scotland had been alerted to the incident on 19 March, with both individuals initially charged before the case was reviewed by prosecutors.
Called it, I knew they would let them both go 😄
Deport them both.
Maybe diplomatic immunity claimed, hence the summoning of the Iranian ambassador?
… if only we knew the ‘facts’ before shooting from the hip.
I like the whole “Due Process” thingy-mabob, as Due Process is the speed limit on government power. Without it, the state could simply decide you’re a nuisance and take your house or lock you up tomorrow morning. It’s the difference between a Rule of Law, where the rules are known and fair and a Rule of Men, where whoever is in charge gets to make it up as they go along. While it often makes the legal system feel slow and red-tape heavy, it is the only thing standing between a citizen and an arbitrary act of tyranny.
If these ‘fsckers’ are “guilty” of crimes against the State or just erent, vacuous, dunderheads, time will tell. The fact that on Thursday 19 March, around 5:00 PM, the pair allegedly attempted to enter the base in a vehicle. They were denied access at the primary checkpoint because they lacked the proper passes. Instead of leaving the area, they reportedly remained in the vicinity and were observed engaging in “suspicious behaviour” (some reports suggest they were monitoring the gate or taking photographs). Armed Ministry of Defence Police detained them shortly after.
Both were initially arrested and charged by Police Scotland with “suspicious activity” in connection with an attempted breach of a high-security site. The pair were scheduled to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court this past Monday, but the proceedings did not go as expected – The Crown Office (COPFS) dropped all proceedings against Alina Valentina a Romanian. They stated that after a “full and careful consideration of the facts,” there would be no prosecution, though they reserve the right to proceed if new evidence appears. Sarsam Abutakir an Iranian was “liberated from custody” and did not appear in court. However, his case remains “live and under consideration.” This is a legal “limbo”, he hasn’t been cleared, but the state doesn’t yet have enough to hold him under the specific charges filed.
The reason this is making international headlines isn’t just a simple trespass; it’s the timing. The arrests happened exactly three weeks after the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Just last Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorised the US to use British bases; Fairford and Diego Garcia to launch strikes against Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz.
British media, including The Sun and The Times, have quoted sources calling the pair “suspected Iranian spies.” The fear is that this wasn’t a clumsy break-in, but a “probing” mission to test the response times and security protocols of the UK’s most sensitive military asset during a time of war.
This is a perfect example of due process in action. Despite the high-stakes “spy” narrative, the Scottish legal system cannot hold someone indefinitely without specific, admissible evidence of a crime, like espionage or terrorism.
The fact that they were “liberated” suggests that while their presence was suspicious, the police may not have found physical evidence, like specialised surveillance gear or encrypted communications, that would allow them to bypass standard bail/custody rules.
The Faslane incident remains an active mystery rather than a closed case. While the media has been quick to label the pair as “Iranian agents” probing Britain’s nuclear deterrent during a global crisis, the Crown’s decision to release them pending further inquiries suggests the evidence currently falls short of a smoking gun. It is highly likely that MI5 and Police Scotland are now conducting a deeper forensic deep dive into the pair’s backgrounds and digital footprints. Until then, the incident serves as a reminder of how vulnerable, and high-profile, the UK’s nuclear engine room remains as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate. It demonstrates the need for even higher security at ALL bases, even thought these two were caught. In my view trying to get in without any sort of accreditation seems either very silly or a calculated ‘distraction’.
A very well articulated reply, thank you!