Skip to main content

Iran's Revolutionary Guards probably responsible for RAF Fairford incident

1 min Mena Today

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was "highly likely" to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford airbase, as the US removes its B-1 bombers one week after several men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain October 4, 2026. @CraigYoungMedia via X/via Reuters

A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford airbase, as the US removes its B-1 bombers one week after several men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain October 4, 2026. @CraigYoungMedia via X/via Reuters

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was "highly likely" to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The incident near RAF Fairford began in the early hours of September 27 when five British men in their 20s were arrested near the base on suspected terrorism and explosive offences.

They were later released without charge on ‌police bail "under stringent conditions", and police said they were considering whether a foreign state had been involved.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said a threat linked to Iran had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from the air base and U.S. officials have told Reuters that there had been a suspected plot involving Iran to launch a drone attack.

"We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham told parliament. "We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."

Reporting by Sam Tobin

Related

Iran

Talks multiply, deal stays out of reach

Iran and the United States are far from reaching a deal to end the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, despite heightened diplomatic efforts to prevent a potential return to active conflict after the US midterm elections.

Saudi Arabia

Wang Yi plays peacemaker between Tehran and Riyadh

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in separate meetings with Iranian and Saudi national security officials in Beijing on Monday, said all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again.

Yemen

Houthi advance edges toward Aden

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of Aden, the main stronghold and temporary capital of the country's internationally recognised government, four military sources told Reuters on Monday. 

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.