UK: Iran 'most likely' behind RAF Fairford incident

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told parliament there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement. The government summoned the Iranian ambassador. A scare at RAF Fairford led to the withdrawal of USAF B-1 heavy bombers.

10/12/2026 12 October 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham tells Parliament there are "strong indications" of Iranian involvement. The government summoned the Iranian ambassador. A scare at RAF Fairford led to the withdrawal of USAF B-1 heavy bombers.

The British government has accused Iran of being involved in a security alert outside a UK/US airbase in southern England last month, summoning the ambassador and announcing sanctions against two people.

Five British nationals were arrested on September 27 in the vicinity of RAF Fairford Air Base on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences. They were later released on bail with strict conditions and another arrest was made a few days later.

Police have previously said they are investigating the possibility of a foreign actor being involved, not least given RAF Fairford's importance to the US Air Force as one of the European bases that operates heavy bombers such as the B-1 and B-52, with enough range to reach Iran.

What did Prime Minister Andy Burnham say to Parliament?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday that Britain may retaliate against more sanctions on Iran.

He said there are signs of Iran's coordination in the possible conspiracy.

"I can confirm my assessment that it was most likely coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," he said. "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil."

The degree of competence demonstrated and the threat posed by a group of young British nationals from London is not entirely clear, but it appears potentially limited.

Initial reports indicated that despite an extensive security alert and the deployment of a bomb squad, investigators ultimately found no viable explosives in the vans. However, they found accelerators such as oil.

"We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks by using the full spectrum of our power to target them and their financial flows, and we will impose additional sanctions to limit the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to harm us," Burnham said.

Foreign Minister Miliband says the Iranian ambassador was summoned

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Monday that his ministry had summoned Iran's ambassador to "reiterate" the message that Britain "will not tolerate attacks on our soil".

Iranian Ambassador Arjan Ambassador Arjan reported that Iranian Ambassador Ali Mousavi "categorically denies the accusations" and asks the British government "to present documents that support his claims if they have them".

Miliband said the two would face an immediate asset freeze, travel ban and director disqualification.

He named Ruhollah Bazghandi, the head of IRGC counter-espionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Temarzadeh Jacki, as the facilitators of the Zandashti criminal network.

Miliband said they were sanctioned for "their role in" facilitating or participating in hostile activities on behalf of the Iranian regime, with the express purpose of threatening, planning or carrying out attacks abroad.

The joint statement of 29 countries condemned "Iran's use of violent attacks".

Shortly thereafter, a total of 29 countries issued a joint statement condemning "Iran's use of violent attacks in the strongest possible terms."

The organization said these actions include "acts of deadly conspiracy, arson, vandalism, cyber attacks, and other combined activities against us and our partners."

All of the so-called "Five Eyes" alliance and most of NATO's European members were on the list of signatories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Ireland.

After the September 27 incident at Fairford, high-tech American B-1 bombers left the air base. The older, larger group of B-52s remained there.

RAF Fairford is one of several air bases in the south of England with a heavy US footprint. The hotel is located about two hours' drive west of London, in a rural area north of Swindon.

Like many of these bases, its roots can be traced back to World War II, when Nazi Germany occupied most of mainland Europe and the Allied Powers were conducting air raids and preparing for the D-Day landings from Britain.

If you trust our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google so you always see our verified news first.