UK PM says IRGC ‘almost certainly’ directed plot at US air base, Tehran denies

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham asserted on Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) almost certainly orchestrated a security incident targeting the US-run RAF Fairford air base in England. In response, the UK government summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against Tehran's efforts to jeopardize British security.

A joint statement signed by the UK foreign office and more than 25 nations, including the US, confirmed Britain's attribution of Iranian involvement in the incident. Burnham informed lawmakers that he confirmed the assessment that the plot was highly likely coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by Iran's IRGC. He emphasized that the UK would not tolerate such threats on its territory.

The suspected plot led to a security operation on September 27, during which dozens of nearby residents were evacuated, and police investigated vans connected to the suspects. The air base had been utilized by American bombers to strike Iran during the ongoing conflict. The US had withdrawn its bombers from RAF Fairford the previous week. The Trump administration believed that the base faced Iranian threats with the intent to kill American troops and destroy US aircraft.

Seven men were arrested in connection with the alleged plot, but none have been charged so far. The suspects, aged in their 20s, include six British nationals and one with dual British-Iranian citizenship. Police found petrol and an accelerant in three vans linked to the five arrested suspects but found no explosives.

The UK had previously indicated strong indications of Iranian involvement in the alleged plan to target the air base. Iran's ambassador to the US also denied the allegations.