UK Prime Minister: Iran's IRGC Likely Behind Plot Against RAF Fairford Base

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base in Britain was likely coordinated in Iran and "almost certainly" directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). U.S. officials told Reuters that the suspicious plot involved Iran and was intended to be carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Fairford base had been used by American bombers for strikes against Iran, but U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that an Iran-related threat led to the removal of aircraft from the base. The alleged plot was uncovered on September 27 when five British men were arrested near the base in commercial vehicles on suspicion of terror offenses and sabotage. They were later released without charge under strict conditions. Police found gasoline in the vehicles but no operational explosives, and investigators are examining the possibility of foreign state involvement. Two additional men, including one with dual British-Iranian citizenship, were also arrested and subsequently released. "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham declared in Parliament. "We will act decisively against Iran's use of criminal networks, using the full extent of our powers to disrupt them and their funding sources, and we will impose further sanctions to limit Iran's and the IRGC's ability to harm us." Iran has denied any involvement in the Fairford incident, calling the allegations "baseless and malicious speculation." British authorities have accused Iran of involvement in several plots within the UK. In July, the UK used new powers to ban support for the IRGC and an affiliated organization, which has been accused of attacks against targets linked to Jewish and Israeli communities and Persian-language media.