UK Accuses Iran of Directing RAF Fairford Airbase Plot, Imposes New Sanctions

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that a suspected plot targeting Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford was "almost certainly" orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), escalating diplomatic tensions surrounding the incident for which Tehran has denied any involvement. "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham informed parliament on Monday. He added that the government "will crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams." He further stated, "We will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm." The incident near the airbase in southern England occurred in the early hours of September 27, leading to the arrest of five British men in their 20s on suspicion of "terrorism" and explosives offences. Police reported finding a supply of petrol in three vans associated with the suspects but no explosives. The men were subsequently released on police bail under stringent conditions without charge. Last week, Counter Terrorism Policing apprehended a 22-year-old British national on suspicion of a "terror" offence connected to the security incident. Earlier this month, a 25-year-old British-Iranian man was arrested in London. In a statement on X, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that Britain was sanctioning two Iranians for their "role in facilitating or engaging in hostile activity on behalf of the Iranian regime," without identifying them. "We have repeatedly made clear to Iran, Britain will not tolerate threats on our soil," he asserted. This action coincided with a joint statement from 29 countries, including Britain, the US, most European states, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, issued on Monday, which blamed Iran for the attempted infiltration. The statement declared, "Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce people on our territories through proxies or any other means is unacceptable." In response, Iran's ambassador to the UK, Ali Mousavi, met with Stephen Doughty, the UK’s minister for the Middle East, on Monday. Mousavi "categorically rejected" allegations of any Iranian involvement and urged "the British side to refrain from any unsubstantiated statements." Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that Mousavi informed British authorities of Tehran's willingness to cooperate with the investigation. Iran’s embassy in London issued a statement last month, asserting that Iran "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations" attempting to link the country to the arrests, warning that such claims would "fuel Iranophobia propaganda." The US had previously moved its B-52 and B-1 bombers from the base earlier this month. RAF Fairford has been a transit point for US bombers involved in the ongoing conflict that began over seven months ago, on February 28. Located approximately 160km (100 miles) west of London, RAF Fairford is the preferred European base for US bombers. US officials indicated that their withdrawal was prompted by concerns over a suspected Iranian plot to execute a sophisticated drone attack on the facility.