UK PM says Iran's Revolutionary Guards 'certainly' behind RAF Fairford incident

Andy Burnham told Parliament that Britain believes a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford was almost certainly directed by Iran's IRGC. Tehran denied involvement and demanded evidence as London threatened further sanctions.

In Short

• Five British men were arrested near RAF Fairford over suspected terror offences
• Iran denies involvement, demands UK to provide evidence
• UK plans sanctions and crackdown on Iranian criminal networks

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of almost certainly directing a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, which is a British air base used by US bombers during military operations against Iran. The accusation is a big escalation in tensions between London and Tehran, with the UK government threatening further sanctions against Iran and its powerful security force.

Addressing Parliament on Monday, Burnham said British authorities believed the suspected operation had been coordinated from Iran. The incident triggered a major security response after five British men were arrested near the base in southwest England on September 27 on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences.

"I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard," Burnham told Parliament.

RAF FAIRFORD IN SPOTLIGHT

RAF Fairford, located in Gloucestershire in southwest England, is a British military base used by the US Air Force. It became a focus of security concerns after being used by American bombers to carry out strikes on Iran during the conflict in the Middle East. US officials told news agency Reuters that investigators were examining a suspected plot involving a possible drone attack on the base. US President Donald Trump also said a threat linked to Iran had prompted the withdrawal of bombers from the facility.

The security alert has raised concerns about the vulnerability of military installations supporting operations against Iran, even when they are located outside the immediate conflict zone.

The arrests took place after suspicious activity was reported near the base. Police found petrol in vans associated with the five men, but no viable explosives were discovered, according to reports. The suspects were subsequently released on police bail under strict conditions.

Two other men were also arrested in connection with the investigation, including a British-Iranian national. They too have been released, while inquiries into the suspected plot continue. No charges have been confirmed in the case.

IRAN DEMANDS EVIDENCE

Tehran has strongly rejected Britain's accusations, arguing that the government should provide evidence rather than publicly attribute responsibility to Iran. Iran's Ambassador to Britain, Seyed Ali Mousavi, said, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA: "Tehran has had no involvement in this matter, and if the British government possesses any documents or evidence to support its claims, it should present them,"

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament that a known individual based in Iran was believed to be behind the incident, although she did not identify the person.

Burnham said Britain would use its legal and financial powers to disrupt what it described as Iranian-linked criminal networks operating on British soil.

"We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham said. "We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."

The British government has previously accused Iran of using criminal networks and intermediaries to pursue threats against individuals in the UK, including alleged assassination and kidnapping plots. Tehran has repeatedly denied such accusations.

In July, Britain introduced measures banning support for the IRGC and the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which has claimed responsibility for attacks on locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities and Persian-language media.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has also summoned the Iranian ambassador, while London announced sanctions against two Iranian nationals: Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom Britain identified as the IRGC's head of counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, whom it described as a facilitator for the sanctioned Zindashti criminal network.

WESTERN ALLIES CONDEMN IRANIAN ACTIVITIES

The allegations have also drawn a response from Britain's international allies. Foreign ministries from 29 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, condemned what they described as Iran's use of violent attacks, including alleged lethal plots, arson, sabotage and cyberattacks.

"The UK has also concluded this event demonstrates the IRGC's continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors," the statement said.

The latest developments add to tensions between Iran and Western governments following the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies