Burnham Says Iran's IRGC Almost Certainly Directed RAF Fairford Incident; UK Summons Iranian Ambassador

Britain has put Iran on notice over the RAF Fairford incident, but the public case against Tehran rests on the government's own assessment. No court has tested it.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs on Monday, Oct. 12, that the Sept. 27 incident at the Gloucestershire airbase was "highly likely to have been co-ordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard." He said the government would "crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks" and "bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband instructed the Foreign Office to summon the Iranian ambassador. "Britain will not tolerate threats on our soil," he said in a statement.

Two Iranians sanctioned

The Foreign Office also designated two Iranian nationals. One is Ruhollah Bazghandi, head of counterespionage operations within the IRGC. The other is Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, described by Miliband's department as a facilitator of the Zindashti criminal network.

Both face an immediate asset freeze and travel ban. Director disqualification also applies. Miliband said they were designated for facilitating or engaging in hostile activity for the Iranian regime "with the clear intent of threatening, planning or conducting attacks overseas." His statement does not tie the two men to Fairford specifically.

Miliband said the government has already designated the IRGC under its new state threats powers. Support for the IRGC was banned in July under then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The UK was joined by 28 other countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, France and Germany, in a joint statement condemning Iranian "lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other hybrid activities." The statement also recognises the UK's attribution of Iranian involvement in the Fairford incident.

What happened at Fairford

Police received a call at about 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 27 about three suspicious vehicles heading toward the base. A local farmer reportedly made the call. Armed officers arrested five men in the Whelford area on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. They were later held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

Dozens of homes in Whelford were evacuated and a large cordon went up around the site.

On Sept. 28, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor of Counter Terrorism Policing said the five had been bailed under stringent conditions. "This does not mean the investigation is over," he said. The total arrested has since reached seven men, all in their 20s. All were bailed, and no one has been charged.

On the day of the arrests, President Donald Trump said those involved had been looking to do "big damage" to the base. He also said they had been "under investigation."

Iran's denial and an earlier caution

Iran has denied involvement. The government's attribution also came after a more cautious line. On Sept. 28, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said it was "premature to speculate on these individuals and their motives" because a live investigation was under way. He did say Iran and its proxies "wish to do us harm."

The government has not publicly set out the evidence behind Burnham's assessment. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to update the Commons later today, Oct. 12.

The US bombers

Fairford has served for decades as a forward operating location for the US Air Force. In recent months the US has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from it toward the Middle East, after the UK approved an American request to use the base for defensive strikes on Iran. The RAF cancelled the base's July airshow in May, citing a significant increase in real-world operational missions.

In July, Iran said "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces."

Last week the US withdrew all of its bombers, about a dozen B-1s, from Fairford to home stations in the United States. Downing Street insisted the base was safe. Neither government has said precisely why the US made the move.

The immediate questions are whether prosecutors bring charges against any of the seven men. The other is what Mahmood tells MPs about the evidence linking them to Tehran. Burnham has promised further sanctions but has not said who or what they will target, or when.