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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the suspected plot near Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor," after British police released on bail the five men arrested near the air base used by U.S. bombers.
Rubio did not name a country or provide evidence, telling Fox News' "Hannity" on Monday that more details would emerge "in the days to come."
Iran has denied any involvement.
RAF Fairford is the only base on Britain's mainland used by the U.S. for operations against Iran.
U.S. claims of foreign involvement and U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of the bail decision have added to confusion over the investigation.
"I have to be careful, there are some things I cannot say on the air for a lot of different reasons," Rubio said.
"Suffice it to say that what happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a very serious situation. It's one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor," he added.
"I won't get into great detail about that yet," he said.
Rubio said Iran had openly threatened American interests but did not directly link Tehran to the incident, noting, "We are dealing with elements in the world, and in the case of Iran, for example, who have openly threatened to attack American interests globally. We're going to always take that very seriously."
He praised British authorities.
"I know a lot of people are disturbed by the news that some of these people have been released on bail," Rubio said, adding, "But suffice it to say, beyond that I would argue that they've been very co-operative and very helpful."
"I'm surprised that they released them, I wouldn't have done that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
"We know everything about them. We would not have released them," he added.
Asked whether the case was linked to Iran, Trump said: "It might be."
Pressed for details, he said: "I'd rather not. I mean I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I'd rather not say."
Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said the five men, all London-based Britons in their mid-20s, were released on bail under "stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others."
"This does not mean the investigation is over," Taylor said, according to a statement.
"We are considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state," he added.
He said police were keeping "an open mind" about whether the geopolitical context had a bearing on the incident.
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Tests on materials in the three vans established they were "not viable explosives," the Daily Mail and the PA news agency reported, citing sources. No explosive material was found, the Guardian reported.
Local councillor Tristan Wilkinson questioned the mixed messaging.
"It seems insane that this appears to have been a tip-off from a member of the public, and the security services are claiming that there was a level of intelligence involved as well," he said.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced an emergency meeting of top officials to ensure they have "the full picture."
Evacuated residents were allowed to return home.
The Iranian Embassy in London said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved in the RAF Fairford incident.
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