Latest (Monday, October 12): Britain publicly accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of directing a suspected terror plot against a US-run airbase in England, and summoned Tehran’s ambassador over it. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on Monday that the security incident at RAF Fairford last month was “almost certainly” directed by the IRGC, a sharp escalation from his earlier line that there were “strong indications” Iran played a part. The Foreign Office summoned Iran’s ambassador to convey displeasure at “Iran’s continued attempts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and international partners through its criminal networks, proxy groups and state-backed malign activity,” per the Associated Press.
Seven men were arrested last month near the Gloucestershire base on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and have all been released on bail as counterterror police continue investigating. Bomb-disposal officers found no explosives in their vehicles but retrieved a quantity of petrol. A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian national arrested separately, was also released on bail.
The accusation lands in the middle of an already strained US-UK arrangement. The United States pulled its B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford a week after the arrests; the base had recently been used for US strikes on Iran. London had refused Washington permission to use British bases for offensive strikes on Iran, allowing only defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a split that has visibly strained the alliance. The IRGC said in late July that bases used to attack Iran were legitimate targets. RAF Fairford, about 145 kilometres west of London, hosts the US Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating location for Global Strike Command.
The denial
Iran rejected the allegation outright. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that the accusations were baseless: “I can confirm Iran’s belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all. You’re barking up the wrong tree.” Tehran’s embassy in London separately condemned what it called “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking it to the suspected plot.
Why the attribution matters now
The claim arrives with almost no public evidence attached: Burnham said he would update the public “in due course” and gave no details of what the suspects were planning or why London believes the IRGC was behind it. US officials have already criticised the decision to release the suspects on bail, with President Trump saying “I wouldn’t have done that” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying many people were “disturbed” by the move. The attribution is the UK government’s account and Tehran’s denial is Iran’s; until investigators publish findings, treat both as the parties’ narratives rather than established fact.