LONDON — Britain's domestic spy chief has warned that Iran and Russia are escalating covert campaigns on British soil, with Tehran now going after harder targets such as military sites.

In his annual threat update, delivered on Tuesday, October 13, at Thames House, the London headquarters of the Security Service, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said Russia was intensifying its hybrid warfare against Ukraine's allies, while Iran was growing bolder in its operations in the UK.

Threats from hostile states have quadrupled over the past decade, McCallum said. MI5 now spends more resources countering them than it did during the Cold War.

Iran: more than 50 arrests in a year

McCallum said Iran-linked operations had led to more than 50 arrests in Britain over the past year.

His warning came a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tehran was “highly likely” behind a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, an airbase used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran. McCallum said the Fairford case was not an isolated one, pointing to similar incidents in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

Asked whether Iran could mount complex attacks, such as with explosive drones, McCallum said its reach in Britain was limited by the criminals and proxies it hires to do its work. He cautioned, however, that Iran's Revolutionary Guards have used more aggressive and sophisticated methods in countries closer to home.

Russia: “aggressor number one”

On Russia, McCallum was blunt, calling it the “aggressor number one” among hostile states.

He said Moscow was using tactics just short of open war against Ukraine's supporters across Europe. He cited an attempted drone attack on a cargo plane at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport in August and a cyberattack on Poland's energy infrastructure. Russia has dismissed Germany's accusations over the Leipzig incident as fabricated.

McCallum linked the surge to Russia's struggles on the battlefield, arguing that Moscow is lashing out at Europe at a time when its gains in Ukraine are minimal and come at a horrific cost.

Both Iran and Russia deny involvement in hostile acts in Britain.

The AI threat

The MI5 chief also warned about artificial intelligence. He said AI was supercharging the contest between cyber attackers and defenders, and that terrorists were already using it to sharpen their reconnaissance and attack planning.

His greatest concern, he said, was a risk not yet realised: that AI could help terrorists develop bioweapons or even create new pathogens.

Why it matters

McCallum's speech is the clearest sign yet that the conflicts in Ukraine and with Iran are spilling into everyday security in Europe. Britain's response will be closely watched by allies facing similar threats, and by the countries accused of carrying them out.

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