The UK claims Iran orchestrated the Fairford base incident.
Reference News Network reported on October 15 According to AFP on October 12, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on the 12th that it is "almost certain" that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps orchestrated the significant panic incident at the RAF Fairford base. This base is a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. military during the Iran War.
Following a mysterious incident at RAF Fairford on September 27, the U.S. suddenly withdrew all B-1 bombers from the base last week.
Burnham said in Parliament that the UK's assessment of the incident is that it "is highly likely to have been coordinated from within Iran, and it is almost certain that it was directed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."
He stated, "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will combat Iran's use of criminal networks, utilizing all our power to strike against them and their funding streams."
The UK Foreign Office confirmed on the 12th that it has summoned the Iranian ambassador to the UK for talks.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said, "We have also announced that two Iranians have been designated for sanctions because they assist or engage in hostile activities on behalf of the Iranian regime, clearly aimed at promoting, planning, or launching attacks abroad."
On September 27, a farmer in southwest England reported that a group of men in several white vans were engaging in "suspicious" activities, after which police arrived at the base. Speculation about the incident has continued since then.
Despite a significant counter-terrorism investigation, all seven suspects arrested in the following days have been released on bail, including one suspect with dual British and Iranian nationality. No one has been charged.
This incident was declared a "major" event by British authorities, leading to the evacuation of a nearby village. However, the source and nature of the threat remain shrouded in mystery. Officials stated that investigators did not find any explosives in those vans, but did discover some gasoline. (Translated by Qiu Fang)
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps likely orchestrated a significant security incident at RAF Fairford on September 27, 2023, prompting the U.S. to withdraw all B-1 bombers from the base. The UK has responded by summoning the Iranian ambassador and sanctioning two Iranian individuals for their involvement in hostile activities. The nature of the threat remains unclear, although no explosives were found in the vehicles involved.
- UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the incident at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated by Iran.
- The U.S. withdrew all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford following the incident.
- The UK has summoned the Iranian ambassador for discussions regarding the incident.
- Two Iranian individuals have been sanctioned for their involvement in hostile activities.
- No explosives were found in the suspicious vehicles, but gasoline was discovered.