On Monday, October 12, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated in Parliament that the conspiracy against RAF Fairford on September 27 was highly likely orchestrated by Iran and “almost certainly” directly commanded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran has denied the accusations and demanded evidence from the UK.
Burnham sternly warned in Parliament, “We will not tolerate these threats on British soil. We will use all power to combat Iran’s criminal network and its sources of funding, and further implement sanctions to restrict the IRGC’s ability to harm the UK.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood informed Parliament that it is believed a prominent figure residing in Iran planned the event, but Mahmood did not disclose the individual’s name.
The UK Foreign Office also announced sanctions against Ruhollah Bazghandi and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, both Iranian nationals, including travel bans and asset freezes. Bazghandi is accused of leading IRGC counter-spy operations, and Jakki is said to be an accomplice of the sanctioned Zindashti network involved in terror plots against Iranian dissidents.
In related news, the US State Department told the BBC that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a discussion with MiliBand on Monday regarding holding Iran accountable for its actions and ensuring the security of US assets in the UK.
Additionally, a joint statement was issued by 28 countries, including the US, Canada, France, and Germany, condemning Iran for “deadly conspiracies, arson, sabotage, cyber attacks, and other hybrid actions” against these nations. They acknowledged the UK’s conclusion on Iran’s involvement in the RAF Fairford incident.
Iran’s Ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, claimed that Tehran was not involved in the September 27 event and insisted that the UK government should provide evidence before making accusations, expressing Iran’s willingness to cooperate with UK authorities.
While Iran denies any involvement in the incident, external sources widely believe that Iran and the IRGC’s statements have “very low” credibility, citing Iran’s history of deception, including concealing nuclear weapons development from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and conducting terror attacks through proxies against dissidents, Jews, and the Western world.
Furthermore, authorities in the UK have long accused Iran of using criminal networks and proxies to carry out numerous conspiracy and assassination attempts in the UK. However, Tehran has repeatedly denied these allegations.
RAF Fairford, located in the Cotswolds region in southwest England, has been a long-standing frontline base for the US Air Force, used for missions targeting Iran with B-1 bombers.
In the early hours of September 27, following reports of three suspicious vehicles near the base, police arrested five British men in their 20s and later two more individuals. These seven individuals are suspected of terrorism and explosive-related offenses, all of whom have been released on bail. Gasoline was found in the vehicles, but no usable explosives were discovered.
Shortly after the incident, the US withdrew all 12 B-1 bombers stationed at the base back to the US.