Two Iranian nationals have been arrested after attempting to gain entry to HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland — home to Britain’s fleet of nuclear-armed submarines — without the required authorisation.
The incident took place at around 5pm on Thursday 19 March, when a man aged 34 and a woman aged 31, both reported to be Iranian, approached a gate at the base in a vehicle. Unable to produce the necessary passes, they were refused entry. Officers subsequently detained the pair after they were observed behaving suspiciously in the surrounding area.
Police Scotland confirmed both individuals had been arrested in connection with the incident and said enquiries were continuing. The Royal Navy confirmed that two people had “unsuccessfully attempted to enter” the base and that the matter was the subject of an ongoing investigation.
HM Naval Base Clyde, situated on the Gare Loch approximately 25 miles north-west of Glasgow and commonly known as Faslane, serves as the Royal Navy’s Scottish headquarters. It houses four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines carrying Trident nuclear weapons, as well as seven Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The base is protected by Ministry of Defence Police and Royal Marine Commandos from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions following the ongoing conflict involving Iran, adding sensitivity to what would in any circumstances be a serious security matter at one of Britain’s most strategically significant military installations.
The base has also been in the news for separate reasons. It emerged last August that a Category A nuclear incident — the most serious classification used by the Ministry of Defence, denoting an actual or high potential for radioactive release — had taken place at the facility between January and April of last year. The MoD maintained the event posed no risk to the public and had no radiological impact on the surrounding environment. The disclosure came via a written parliamentary answer from defence procurement minister Maria Eagle, who also revealed two Category B, seven Category C and four Category D incidents at the base during the same period, alongside five further events classified as below scale.
Investigations into Thursday’s arrest are ongoing. No further details about the circumstances of the approach to the base have been released by either Police Scotland or the Royal Navy.
