Britain says Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps almost certainly directed a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, escalating tensions after Tehran denied involvement and seven people were arrested in the investigation without anyone being charged.
The incident began in the early hours of September 27, when police responded to reports of three suspicious vans near the airbase in Gloucestershire. Five British men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences. Police later found petrol in the vans but no explosives, and the men were released on bail under stringent conditions. A 22-year-old British national was arrested last week, while a 25-year-old British-Iranian man was arrested earlier this month.
Police established a 400-metre cordon and evacuated 85 homes in nearby Whelford before declaring the scene safe. Counter Terrorism Policing took over the investigation, which remains active.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament that the suspected operation was highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the IRGC. He said Britain would use its powers against Iranian criminal networks and their funding, and would impose further sanctions to restrict Iran’s and the IRGC’s ability to conduct hostile activity in Britain.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said two Iranians had been sanctioned for facilitating or engaging in hostile activity on behalf of Iran’s government. The sanctions announcement did not initially identify the two people; the government later said one was the head of the IRGC’s counterespionage operations and that both had been involved in espionage and attacks in Europe and the United States.
Twenty-nine countries, including Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European states, jointly condemned Iran’s alleged use of proxies and covert networks. Their statement linked the Fairford incident to Iran’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders and warned that those acting for Iran or any other state would face efforts to identify, investigate, disrupt and prosecute them.
Iran’s ambassador to Britain, Ali Mousavi, rejected the allegations during a meeting with Middle East minister Stephen Doughty and urged Britain to avoid what he called unsubstantiated statements. Mousavi said Tehran was willing to cooperate with the investigation. Iran’s embassy had previously described attempts to connect Tehran with the arrests as unfounded and malicious.
The United States moved its B-52 and B-1 bombers away from the base last week after concerns about a suspected Iranian plan for a complex drone attack. The aircraft were redeployed to their home bases, while Britain continued its investigation and diplomatic response.