Iran and the United Kingdom traded accusations over a security incident around Fairford Air Base. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed that Iran had prepared a plan targeting the base, which is also used by U.S. forces.
Burnham spoke in Parliament about the incident near the base last month, which led to five people being detained on suspicion of terrorism offences. He said that, according to British authorities’ assessment, it was “highly likely” that the plan had been coordinated from inside Iran, adding that it was “almost certain” that the operation had been directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The UK prime minister said they would not allow such threats against his country. He stated that the British government had activated “all its powers” against activities it assessed as involving Iran’s use of criminal networks.
Tehran rejects the accusation
Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected London’s accusations and said that no concrete evidence had been presented to support them. The ministry condemned statements by British officials linking the security incident to Iran.
The ministry argued that the UK government could not evade political responsibility and legal consequences by hiding behind uncertain expressions such as “highly likely” and “most probably.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the accusations as a “despicable conspiracy.”
Tehran also claimed that London had made the allegations to avoid being held accountable for its support for U.S. and Israeli military attacks against Iran.
Detentions and evacuation around Fairford
At the beginning of the incident, British authorities stopped three vans in Gloucestershire on September 27 on suspicion that they were carrying explosives toward Fairford Air Base. Following this, 85 homes in the nearby village of Wilford were evacuated.
Five people in the vans were detained and later released on bail. While the investigation was ongoing, another person who holds Iranian and British citizenship was detained. A 22-year-old British man was also detained and later released on bail.
Following the incident, U.S. warplanes stationed at the base were moved elsewhere. U.S. military aircraft had used Fairford Air Base after U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran began on February 28.
The UK said that the base was used by the United States for defensive purposes. Some research centers and independent analysts, however, argued that Fairford Air Base was also used for offensive purposes.
