British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a security threat targeting RAF Fairford, a military base used by US forces in operations linked to the war against Iran, was carried out under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with a high degree of certainty.
The announcement came as Britain imposed sanctions on two Iranian nationals over activities that the government said threatened security in the United Kingdom and other countries.
The British government said one of the individuals targeted by the sanctions was involved in Iranian activities aimed at threatening, planning or carrying out attacks in Britain or a third country.
Separately, the US State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his British counterpart, Ed Miliband, on Monday about continued cooperation to protect US assets in the United Kingdom.
Britain Vows to Counter Iranian Threats
Addressing the House of Commons, Burnham said Britain would not tolerate threats against its territory, pledging to use the government’s full powers to target criminal networks allegedly used by Iran, as well as their sources of funding.
He added that London intended to impose further sanctions to limit Iran’s and the IRGC’s ability to threaten British security.
The British government also summoned Iran’s ambassador on Monday to express its concerns over what it described as Tehran’s continuing attempts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and its international partners through criminal networks, affiliated groups and state-backed hostile activities.
Tehran Denies Involvement and Offers Cooperation
In response, Iran’s state news agency quoted the country’s ambassador to Britain, Seyed Ali Mousavi, as denying Iranian involvement in the suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford.
Mousavi said Tehran was prepared to cooperate with British authorities in investigating the case.
The incident dates back to the early hours of September 27, when British authorities arrested five men in their twenties near the airbase on suspicion of offenses involving terrorism and explosives.
The suspects were subsequently released on bail subject to strict conditions, without being charged. Police said they were examining the possibility that a foreign state had been involved.
US Concerns Over Threats to Strategic Bombers
US President Donald Trump said last week that an Iran-linked threat had prompted Washington to withdraw American B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford.
Reuters also quoted US officials as saying that a suspected Iranian-linked plan to carry out a drone attack had been identified.
RAF Fairford is used by US forces operating from Britain, making security threats against the base a matter of shared concern for London and Washington.
29 Signatories Issue Warning to Iran
In a related development, the United States and 28 other signatories, including Britain, Australia, Canada, France and Germany, warned Iran against carrying out hostile acts targeting individuals on their territory.
A joint statement published by the US State Department said any Iranian attempt to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm or coerce people within the signatories’ territories would be unacceptable, whether carried out through proxies or by other means.
The warning comes amid rising tensions between Iran and Western governments, as investigations into the RAF Fairford incident continue and allegations concerning security threats and activities attributed to Tehran remain a source of diplomatic friction.
