A British man has been arrested on suspicion of spying on a UK military base in Cyprus on behalf of the Iranian military.
Rashad Sultanov, 44, of Islington, north London, is accused of carrying out “hostile surveillance” on RAF Akrotiri and sharing information with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Sultanov, who also holds Azerbaijani citizenship, was arrested by Cypriot police on 17 July and is in custody pending extradition proceedings.
The Crown Prosecution Service has said he will be charged under the National Security Act — the first time an alleged offence under the 2023 law has been investigated in an overseas territory.
The Allegations
The investigation, which was led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, focused on alleged spying between 11 May 2025 and 22 June 2025.
Sultanov is accused of conducting hostile surveillance on RAF Akrotiri, a permanent UK base on the island of Cyprus that has been in operation since the 1950s. The base has been used in recent months to launch RAF operations to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones.
The Legal Case
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that Sultanov will be charged under the National Security Act 2023. This marks the first time an alleged offence under the Act has been investigated in a British overseas territory.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “This case shows we are able to use the National Security Act overseas when British military bases are allegedly targeted by hostile state activity. A huge amount of partnership work has been carried out between British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies.”
Sultanov is currently in custody pending extradition proceedings. UK authorities are working with Cypriot law enforcement, the National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service as the case progresses.
The Strategic Importance of RAF Akrotiri
The UK has maintained a permanent presence at RAF Akrotiri since the 1950s. The base has grown in strategic importance in recent months, serving as a launch point for RAF operations against Iranian missiles and drones.
The alleged spying comes amid heightened tensions between the UK and Iran over the conflict in the Middle East. The case underscores the vulnerability of British military installations overseas to hostile state activity.
The Bottom Line
A British man has been arrested for allegedly spying on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Rashad Sultanov, 44, is accused of conducting hostile surveillance and sharing information with Iranian military officials. He will be charged under the National Security Act 2023, the first time the law has been used in an overseas territory. Sultanov is in custody pending extradition.
