A British man has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on a UK military base there on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Rashad Sultanov, 44, who holds dual British and Azerbaijani citizenship, was detained by Cypriot police on July 17 and remains in custody pending extradition proceedings.

The allegations center on Sultanov conducting “hostile surveillance” of RAF Akrotiri, a key British Royal Air Force base located on the island of Cyprus, during May and June of last year. The base serves as a strategic hub for British and allied military operations across the Middle East. It has also been involved in recent operations to intercept Iranian missiles and drones. In March 2025, the base was struck by a Shahed drone, which caused damage to an aircraft hangar, while other drones launched in the same period were successfully intercepted by British fighters.

British authorities have indicated that Sultanov shared intelligence regarding the base with the IRGC, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards unit responsible for the country’s foreign intelligence and covert operations. The IRGC is a powerful and secretive branch of Iran’s military that has previously targeted RAF Akrotiri and other Western military assets in the region. Recent tensions have escalated between Iran, the United States, and allied countries, with Iran warning that British facilities used by the U.S. for military operations against Iran would be considered targets. The ongoing conflict has included missile strikes against bases such as Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a joint U.S.-British military installation.

British counterterrorism officials have employed the National Security Act, a relatively recent law designed to address hostile activities targeting British interests overseas, to support the investigation and the potential extradition of Sultanov. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of London’s counterterrorism policing, emphasized that the case demonstrates the ability of British authorities to pursue legal action in response to foreign espionage threats against UK military sites.

The arrest highlights the continued efforts by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to gather intelligence on Western military facilities and the broader security challenges posed by their network of operatives operating internationally. Meanwhile, British officials have also taken steps to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization, partly in response to a wave of attacks against Jewish communities in Europe believed to be linked to the group.

The case remains under investigation as diplomatic and security agencies in the UK and Cyprus coordinate on the legal processes related to Sultanov’s detention and potential extradition.