UK Official Attributes RAF Fairford Threat to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps

Andy Burnham stated that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were ‘almost certainly’ responsible for the threats against RAF Fairford, marking the UK’s most definitive attribution of blame to date following the incident last month.

The prime minister informed MPs that the UK would impose additional sanctions on Tehran and the IRGC after the ambiguous episode, which, despite more than two weeks of police inquiry, has not resulted in any charges.

Speaking to Parliament on Monday about the RAF Fairford events, Burnham said, ‘I can confirm our assessment that the activity was highly likely coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards.’

In a House of Commons statement, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had summoned Iran’s ambassador over the Fairford incident and that the government had sanctioned two individuals accused of spying for Iran in Europe and the United States.

‘He will denounce Iran’s ongoing efforts to threaten our security,’ Mahmood added. ‘We are also sanctioning two individuals engaged in espionage and attacks on Iran’s behalf in Europe and the US, and we will not hesitate to take further steps to curb Iran’s ability to jeopardise international safety.’

On 27 September, five men from London drove to Whelford—a village adjacent to the US‑run air base—in three white vans shortly after midnight. They were released on police bail the following day after investigators found no explosives or incendiary devices.

A week later, the US withdrew twelve B‑1 bombers from the site, amid reports that Washington feared a possible drone strike on a base it had used to launch attacks against Iran during the spring and summer Middle‑East conflict.

Burnham’s comments represented a clearer stance than earlier remarks. Previously, the prime minister had said there were ‘strong indications’ of Iranian involvement; now the government appears confident enough to assign responsibility.

A joint statement issued by the UK, US and other European allies, released through the Foreign Office, noted that the UK ‘has also concluded that this event shows the IRGC’s continuing willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders via covert networks and proxy forces.’

Nevertheless, despite Burnham’s assertion, it remains uncertain what exactly transpired at Fairford. Some analysts have suggested the episode may have been a feint intended to illustrate Iran’s theoretical capability to strike a relatively open facility.

British officials have repeatedly argued that Iran lacks the capability to carry out a sophisticated drone attack, yet the incident has unsettled the United States, which remains concerned about the security of its European bases.

The Fairford incident follows what the UK, in the joint statement, described as a recent series of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and US interests, claimed by the group Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamiya (HAYI).

Although the United States has detained and indicted Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al‑Saadi, whom it accuses of leading HAYI, evidence indicates that Iran‑linked attacks have persisted.

A week prior, two Iranian nationals—Salam Ahmadyan of Liverpool and Rahman Salehi of Salford—were charged with terrorism offences after allegedly attempting to target Manchester’s Jewish community with a homemade chlorine‑powder bomb.

Prosecutors informed a magistrates’ court that the pair had been in contact with a third party believed to be in Iran, who supplied them with instructions on how to construct an explosive device. A trial is set to take place at the Old Bailey.

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