Description: More than 7 people were arrested by the Metropolitan Police special response unit, as they were flagged to have planned on launching an imminent terrorist attack on UK’s soil. The individuals were identified to have been of Iranian descent as political upheaval immediately raised and various political parties demanded for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be proscribed. The thwarted plot comes in a period of heightened tensions between western countries and Iran as the latter is engaged in negotiations regarding their nuclear program with the US and it under constant threat of snapback sanctions by the E3 alliance of European countries, one of which is the UK. Former Director General of UK’s MI5, Ken McCallum has stated that more than 20 high – risk terrorist plots were prevented since 2022.
Impact: Substantial terrorist threats across Europe would be on the rise in the upcoming period, especially towards countries that pertain to the E3 alliance such as Germany, France and the UK. Iran would aim at boasting their operational outreach globally as they face constant threats of military intervention from the US and Israel regarding their reluctance to abandon the nuclear development ambitions. The deadline for the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) expiration is 18 Oct, while US – Iran talks enter a stranded phase since the last round of negotiations were cancelled in the midst of growing threats from both sides. European counter and anti – terrorism forces would be overwhelmed in the upcoming period which could lead to deadly attacks across Europe, if not preemptively prevented.