U.K. PM Burnham: Iran's IRGC likely behind RAF Fairford incident

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford airbase was highly likely coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The incident occurred on Sept. 27 at the base, which has been used by the U.S. to conduct defensive strikes against Iran.

Following the incident, the Pentagon withdrew all B-1 bombers from the base earlier this month. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters there were threats, while Al-Monitor reports that U.S. officials told Reuters the suspected plot involved an Iranian plan to launch a drone attack.

Counter Terrorism Policing has arrested seven men as part of an investigation, all of whom have been released on bail. The force stated it is considering possible foreign state involvement. In response to the incident, Burnham stated the U.K. would crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks and implement further sanctions to restrict the capacity of the IRGC to cause harm.

Tehran has denied any involvement, according to Haaretz, describing the allegations as unfounded and malicious speculations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that the matter clearly involves a foreign actor, though he did not provide additional details, as reported by Politico EU.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, Politico EU, Al-Monitor — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.