UK PM Burnham says Iran’s IRGC ‘highly likely’ to have been behind RAF Fairford incident

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Monday that an alleged security plot directed against the RAF Fairford airbase in southwestern England was "highly likely" orchestrated from within Iran. Burnham specifically attributed the direction of the operation almost certainly to Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Speaking on the incident, Burnham stated that Britain would not tolerate such hostile actions and declared that his administration intends to introduce additional sanctions designed to curb Iran's ability to inflict damage on the country.

The military airfield emerged as the center of an extensive security operation following the apprehension of five British citizens in the vicinity during the early morning hours of September 27. The individuals were detained under suspicion of involvement in terrorism and offenses related to explosives.

RAF Fairford has historically served as an operational hub for American bomber aircraft deployed to conduct strikes against Iranian targets. The base had recently faced heightened scrutiny following intelligence assessments regarding potential hostile activity in the area.

United States officials previously indicated to Reuters that investigators suspected an Iranian-backed scheme aimed to carry out an unmanned aerial vehicle strike against the installation.

The security alert also influenced recent military deployments at the base. Last week, US President Donald Trump stated that an Iranian-connected danger had directly led to a strategic choice to pull the American bomber contingent out of the Gloucestershire military facility. Investigations into the arrested suspects and the wider network behind the planned operation remain ongoing.