British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of almost certainly directing a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, a military air base in southwest England previously used by US bombers involved in strikes against Iran.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Burnham said British intelligence assessments indicated that the alleged operation was highly likely to have been coordinated from Iran, although Tehran has firmly denied any involvement.
“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 lawmakers.
The suspected plot triggered a major security response after five British men were arrested near the air base in the early hours of September 27 on suspicion of terrorism-related and explosives offences.
US officials had previously told Reuters that investigators suspected an Iran-linked plan to launch a drone attack on the base. US President Donald Trump also said last week that a threat connected to Iran had prompted a decision to withdraw American bombers from the facility.
Iran Rejects Allegations of Involvement
Iran has denied any connection to the suspected operation, demanding that Britain provide evidence to support its accusations.
Iranian Ambassador to the UK Seyed Ali Mousavi said Tehran had no involvement in the incident, 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,” Mousavi said.
Details of the alleged plot remain limited. The five men arrested in September were subsequently released on police bail without charge, subject to what authorities described as stringent conditions.
Two other individuals who were arrested in connection with the investigation, including a British-Iranian national, have also been released.
Detectives said petrol was found in vans seized alongside the five men, but no viable explosive device was discovered.
Despite the releases, British police and the prime minister have pointed to possible foreign-state involvement in the suspected operation.
UK Warns of Iranian Networks Operating on British Soil
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament that an unnamed individual based in Iran was believed to have been behind the incident.
Burnham vowed to take further action against what he described as Iran’s use of criminal networks to threaten British security.
“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” he said.
He added that the government would use its available powers to target the networks and their sources of funding, while imposing further sanctions intended to restrict Iran and the IRGC’s ability to threaten Britain.
The accusations come amid longstanding concerns among British authorities about alleged Iranian-backed operations in the country.
The UK has repeatedly accused Tehran of using criminal networks and proxy groups to organise plots and attempted assassinations on British soil. Iran has consistently rejected those allegations.
Last year, Britain said it had identified 20 credible threats backed by Iran to kill or kidnap people living in the UK.
Nearly 30 Countries Condemn Iran’s Alleged Activities
The latest allegations have also drawn a coordinated response from Britain and its international partners.
Foreign ministries from almost 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, France and Germany, issued a joint statement condemning what they described as Iran’s use of violent operations against their countries and partners.
The statement cited alleged lethal plots, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks and other forms of hostile activity.
“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 countries’ response reflects broader concerns about alleged Iranian activities beyond its borders, although Tehran denies responsibility for the Fairford incident.
Britain Expands Restrictions on IRGC and Linked Groups
The British government has taken additional steps against organisations it considers security threats.
In July, the UK introduced new powers to prohibit support for the IRGC and a group linked to it, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).
The group had claimed responsibility for seven attacks earlier in the year at locations associated with Jewish and Israeli communities, as well as Persian-language media outlets.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband also summoned the Iranian ambassador, while the government announced sanctions against two Iranian nationals.
They were Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom Britain identified as the IRGC’s head of counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, described by British authorities as a facilitator for the already-sanctioned Zindashti criminal network.
The Zindashti network has been accused of involvement in several plots targeting Iranian dissidents.
The investigation into the suspected Fairford plot remains a sensitive issue, with Britain maintaining that the incident points to foreign-state involvement while Iran continues to deny any role.
