British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told parliament on Monday that a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, an air base in southwest England used by US bombers, was "highly likely" to have been coordinated in Iran and "almost certainly directed" by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," he said. Iran denies any involvement.
The incident began in the early hours of September 27, when scores of residents near the rural base, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) west of London, were evacuated as armed police and army bomb-disposal experts moved in. Five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences, and two more people, including a dual British-Iranian national, were detained later. Police found petrol in three vans linked to the first five suspects, but no viable explosive. All seven, who are in their 20s, have been released on bail and no one has been charged. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said a known individual based in Iran, whom she did not name, was believed to be behind the events.
The US had used Fairford for what Britain described as defensive strikes on Iranian missiles and launch sites, after Iranian attacks on UK interests and on allies in the Gulf. US officials have spoken of a suspected Iran-linked drone plot, and the Trump administration has said it believed the aim was to kill as many American troops and destroy as many aircraft as possible. Washington withdrew its bombers from the base last week, and the Pentagon says they are back at their home bases. Iran has said previously that it regards any base used to attack its territory as a legitimate target.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoned Iran's ambassador, Seyed Ali Mousavi, who said Tehran had no involvement and that London should present evidence if it has any. Britain also sanctioned two Iranians: Ruhollah Bazghandi, described as the IRGC's head of counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, a facilitator for the Zindashti criminal network. Burnham promised further sanctions and a crackdown on criminal networks and their funding.
Almost 30 countries, including the US, Canada, France and Germany, issued a joint statement condemning Iran's "use of violent attacks", including plotting, arson, sabotage and cyber-attacks. They said Fairford showed the IRGC's willingness to act abroad through covert networks and proxies.
The case fits a pattern London has described for years. Mahmood said states like Iran "pay criminals or exploit naive volunteers" while keeping plausible deniability. Officials say national security cases involving hostile states rose 50% in the six months to December 2025, and Britain recorded 20 credible Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap people last year. In July it banned support for the IRGC and a linked group that claimed seven attacks on Jewish, Israeli and Persian-language media targets. Tehran has repeatedly denied such accusations.