LONDON (TNND) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard almost certainly directed a suspected plot to attack a U.S.-used military air base in England, escalating the government’s accusations against Tehran.
“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” Burnham told lawmakers, saying Britain assessed that the alleged plot was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran.
Police have arrested seven men in connection with the investigation. All have been released on bail, and none has been charged. Iran has denied involvement.
The alleged target was RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London. The base has been used by U.S. bombers to strike Iran during the ongoing war. Britain has said it allowed the U.S. military to use the base for defensive strikes on Iranian missiles and launch sites after attacks on British interests and allies in the Gulf.
Residents near the base were evacuated Sept. 27 as armed police and army bomb-disposal experts searched the area. Police later said they found gasoline in three vans linked to the first five suspects arrested, but no explosives, the AP reported.
The suspects are all in their 20s. Police have not identified them but said six are British nationals and one holds dual British-Iranian citizenship.
The British government summoned Iran’s ambassador on Monday. He again denied Tehran’s involvement and called on the U.K. to provide evidence for its claims.
Britain also added two Iranians to its sanctions list, including the head of counterespionage operations in the Revolutionary Guard. British authorities said the two were involved in espionage and attacks on behalf of Iran’s government in Europe and the United States.
The Pentagon said U.S. bombers left RAF Fairford last week and have returned to their home bases. The Trump administration has said it believed the base faced Iranian threats aimed at killing U.S. troops and destroying American aircraft.
British officials have said local proxies linked to Iran were behind a series of arson and other attacks in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere. Some attacks targeted Jewish communities and were intended to spread fear, according to the AP.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Fairford incident reflected a broader pattern of hostile activity by Iran and other states. British officials have reported a 50% increase in national security cases involving hostile states in the six months through December 2025.
In a joint statement Monday, the foreign ministers of the U.K., U.S. and about two dozen Western countries condemned Iranian attacks on their territory. They said the Fairford case showed Iran’s willingness to use covert networks and proxies beyond its borders.
“Anyone who conducts hostile activities on behalf of Iran, or any other state, should know that we will take action to identify, investigate, disrupt, and prosecute these acts,” the statement said.
_________
The Associated Press contributed to this report.