Burnham: 'Fairford' incident directed by the IRGC
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed that the threat to Fairford Air Base was directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, leading to the recall of the Iranian ambassador and the imposition of sanctions.
Translated by Qiyas from النهار — Original source
London – Agencies: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham revealed that the security threat targeting Fairford Air Base, used by the U.S. military in the war against Iran, was “almost certainly directed” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. London announced the recall of its Iranian ambassador and the listing of two citizens of the Islamic Republic on sanctions lists in connection with the mysterious incident that occurred on September 27. The United States announced unexpectedly last week the withdrawal of all its B-1 bombers from the Royal Air Force base following the incident.
Burnham told the House of Commons, “Our assessment is that it is highly likely that this was coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” He added, “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will firmly counter Iran’s use of criminal networks, using all our powers to target them and their funding channels.”
The British Foreign Office announced the recall of the Iranian ambassador to London. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said, “We are also designating two Iranian citizens for their role in facilitating or engaging in hostile activities on behalf of the Iranian regime, with the clear intent of threatening, planning, or carrying out attacks abroad.”
In response, an official Iranian news agency quoted Iran’s ambassador to Britain, Seyyed Ali Mousavi, denying any Iranian role in the alleged conspiracy targeting Fairford Base, and adding that Tehran was ready to cooperate with Britain in investigating the case.
In a related development, the United States and its partners, including Britain, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany, warned Iran against taking hostile actions on their territories following the Fairford Base incident. A joint statement issued by the U.S. Department of State and signed by 29 entities stated that “any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce individuals on our soil, whether through proxies or any other means, is unacceptable.”
