Authorities in the United Kingdom thwarted what they described as a plot directed at RAF Fairford — a base hosting American military personnel and equipment — and in the weeks that followed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised questions about Iran's reported role in the matter.
Addressing parliament, Burnham stated that those responsible for the thwarted plot had, in his government's assessment, operated under coordination originating in Iran — with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps identified as the body most likely to have directed the operation — according to a broadcast news outlet.
An inquiry into an alleged scheme — understood to centre on unmanned aerial vehicles targeting the military installation — has been opened by authorities in Britain.
Unidentified government personnel relayed their assessment of Iran's involvement to reporters at a broadcast outlet under conditions of anonymity, with no supporting evidence made available to the public.
Bombing missions against Iran have been launched from RAF Fairford, with the base serving as a departure point for US aircraft carrying out the strikes. Donald Trump attributed the withdrawal of aircraft from the base to an Iran-linked threat, making that claim in public remarks delivered the previous week.
Five men holding British nationality were detained close to the installation in the pre-dawn hours of 27 September, with the arrests centring on suspected offences linked to terrorism and explosives — the episode that first drew the matter to the attention of authorities. Bail conditions were imposed on them following their release by police.
Authorities noted that the vehicles linked to the arrested individuals contained petrol, though no functional explosive devices were found during the search. A pair of additional men — one of them holding both British and Iranian citizenship — faced arrest before being freed.
Authorities are looking into possible foreign state involvement in the alleged plot, while Burnham stated that such threats on home soil would not be accepted, outlining measures aimed at disrupting Iran's reported use of criminal networks along with the funding channels that support them.
He outlined plans to disrupt Iran and the IRGC's operational capacity through additional measures, including action against criminal networks by deploying the full range of available powers to target those networks and cut off their funding, alongside further sanctions aimed at reducing the ability of both Iran and the IRGC to carry out harmful activities against the United Kingdom.
Iran has denied any role in the incident, dismissing the alleged links as unfounded. UK officials have attributed several suspected operations on British soil to Iranian actors, a pattern that led to measures introduced in July aimed at curtailing state-backed proxy activity and placing constraints on support for the IRGC.
