Iran, Russia Ramping Up Campaigns in UK, MI5 Chief Says

Iran and Russia are ramping up their actions against the United Kingdom, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service said on Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic is stepping up its attempts to hit targets such as military bases on British soil, while Moscow has escalated its hybrid warfare against the country, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum stated during his annual threat update speech in London.

The spy chief said that in 2026, MI5 is devoting more resources to countering threats from states other than those opposed during the Cold War, saying that the “State Threats” caseload had quadrupled over the past decade.

Russia ‘Aggressor No. 1’

McCallum described Russia as “aggressor No. 1,” saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was continuing to “lash out at the UK and its allies.”

He said that the Kremlin’s military and intelligence services are “escalating their attempts at hybrid warfare,” though he said they were “being careful” not to cross a line that would see NATO’s Article 5 invoked.

McCallum says engaging in such an action would be “foolish.”

The MI5 boss described “hybrid warfare” as Russia using tactics “that stop short—though sometimes not much short—of conventional conflict.”

He highlighted a recent cyber attack on Poland’s energy infrastructure and the drone incident at Leipzig-Halle airport in Germany as examples.

“Here at home,” he added, “a man was charged last month under the National Security Act for allegedly preparing to sabotage a drone factory in Swindon.”

McCallum said it was “no accident” that Russia was trying to unsettle Ukraine’s allies in Europe, as their progress in the war is currently “minimal and horrifically costly.”

He added that Moscow was now exploiting “naive volunteers” or paying criminals to carry out their actions, due to their established network of intelligence officers having been “eviscerated” by expulsions across the continent.

Iran Expanding Hybrid Campaign

McCallum went on to say the other state that was “keen on subcontracting its UK violence” was Iran, adding that over the past 12 months, MI5’s Iran-linked operations had led to more than 50 arrests across Britain.

He said Tehran was attempting to expand its hybrid campaign in the country, with much of its aggression having been aimed at Britain’s Jews.

“Recently, two Iranian nationals were charged with terrorism offences following an alleged plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester,” McCullum said, adding that the spring saw a wave of arson and sabotage attacks against Jewish ambulances, synagogues and businesses.

He said these attacks were claimed by a group called the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, which is backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), both of which have since been outlawed under the UK’s National Security Act, making support for them illegal.

Iran, however, seemed undeterred in its efforts, and was now attempting to attack “harder targets” such as military sites in Britain, according to McCullum.

The spy chief’s remarks regarding the targeting of military sites come a day after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that last month’s suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford, an airbase shared with the United States in England, was likely coordinated and directed by the Iranian regime.

“I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran—almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard,” Burnham told lawmakers.

Burnham said investigators were in close contact with the United States about protective security at shared military bases in the UK and were continuing to investigate the case.

Seven suspects, all in their 20s, were arrested on terror and explosives charges for their alleged involvement in the RAF Fairford incident on Sept. 27.

The Pentagon has since removed its heavy bombers from the base. The men have been released from custody and have not been formally charged.

McCallum said he couldn’t discuss the incident in his speech due to the ongoing investigation.

Neither Russia nor Iran has yet commented on the MI5 chief’s remarks, but both routinely reject accusations of hostile activities in foreign countries.

The Epoch Times contacted the Russian and Iranian foreign ministries for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.