Britain formally accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday of being behind a suspected terror plot against RAF Fairford, the airbase American bombers had used to strike Iran, in an announcement that followed an extraordinary emergency withdrawal of all 12 U.S. B-1 bombers from the base.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament that British intelligence found it “highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.” It is the strongest public attribution Britain has made of the incident to date.
RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, had served as a staging ground for American bombing runs against Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury. Earlier this month the Pentagon pulled every B-1 bomber out of the base amid intelligence warnings of a possible Iranian drone attack, a withdrawal first reported by the Wall Street Journal and later detailed by the New York Times citing U.S. and British officials.
The pullout came fast enough that some bombers left before aerial refueling tankers needed for the flight home had even finished arriving, according to that reporting — an unusually rushed exit from an allied base thousands of miles from any combat zone.
American commanders reportedly received initial warnings as early as mid-September that Fairford could be targeted by an Iran-backed attack, with new intelligence in early October adding urgency to the decision to withdraw.
U.S. and British officials have described the suspected plot as a complex, multi-part operation meant to destroy American aircraft and kill personnel at the base. Some officials reportedly believe it may have drawn inspiration from Ukraine’s 2025 strikes on Russian airbases, which used drones smuggled into position inside trucks.
Concerns sharpened on September 27, when British police arrested five men traveling in vans near Fairford, evacuated 85 nearby homes, and sent in a bomb-disposal robot to check the vehicles. No explosives were found. Two more arrests followed, bringing the total to seven. All were released on bail and none has been charged. Axios has reported it remains unclear whether those arrested were linked to a drone plot or a separate operation entirely.
The alleged Iranian threat was not confined to Britain. The Times reported that Israel warned Germany of heightened risk to American installations there, naming the Ramstein and Spangdahlem airbases specifically.
The IRGC had signaled its position in July, declaring that any base used to launch strikes on Iranian territory — a reference to Britain’s hosting of U.S. forces — was “a legitimate target for our forces,” and that London bore responsibility for American military action by allowing it.
Washington’s response
President Trump confirmed last week that the bombers’ withdrawal was driven by security concerns rather than routine rotation. “There were some threats,” he said. “Why should we leave them there? They didn’t fly out by accident.” Asked whether Iran was responsible for bringing combat drones into Britain, Trump said he could not confirm it but warned Tehran would “suffer greatly” if it had.
Vice President JD Vance said War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal “out of an abundance of caution,” adding the administration believed “with some confidence” that Iran was pursuing attacks on U.S. interests.
Asked Monday whether Washington would act against Iran following Britain’s attribution, Trump said only, “We’re going to see,” while pointing to Iran’s military losses in the broader conflict: “There’s plenty of action. They have no Navy. They have no air force.” He announced no new military steps.
Britain’s response
Burnham said his government would not sit still. “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” he told Parliament. “We will crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said authorities believe the suspected plot was likely coordinated by a known individual based in Iran, though officials have not named that person publicly.
Britain separately announced sanctions on two Iranian nationals tied to other hostile operations: Ruhollah Bazghandi, identified as an IRGC counterespionage official, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, linked to the Zindashti Network. The sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans and bars on serving as company directors, and were not presented as evidence that either man directed the Fairford incident.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoned Iran’s ambassador, Seyed Ali Mousavi, over the allegations, condemning Tehran’s alleged use of criminal networks and proxy groups to threaten Britain and its allies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with Miliband about holding Iran accountable and protecting American assets in Britain.
The United States joined Britain and 27 other countries in a joint statement condemning Iranian hostile operations, including suspected plots involving violence, sabotage and covert networks. “The UK has also concluded this event demonstrates the IRGC’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors,” the statement said, with signatories pledging to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible.
Iran rejected the accusations as baseless, accusing London of leveling charges without evidence in order to deflect from its own support for the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry specifically challenged Britain’s use of the phrases “highly likely” and “almost certainly,” arguing such language does not amount to proof.
