29 nations condemn Iran over RAF Fairford plot

Iran’s embassy in London responded at the time that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” the accusation.

By Eliana Fleming, JFeed

Foreign ministers from 29 countries have jointly condemned Iran for lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks, and other hybrid operations against their nations and partners.

The statement backs Britain’s attribution of the September 27 incident at RAF Fairford, the British air base used by American forces, to Iran.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and most European Union member states signed it.

Israel had a role in the earlier warnings.

Jerusalem cautioned Germany that American bases on German soil, particularly Ramstein and Spangdahlem, faced heightened risk, a senior US official told The New York Times.

The ministers concluded that the Fairford episode shows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains willing to carry out hostile activity abroad through covert networks and proxies.

On September 30, Andy Burnham told the BBC that “we believe Iran had a part in this” but declined to give full details.

Iran’s embassy in London responded at the time that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” the accusation.

On October 12, Burnham told Parliament that the suspected plot was “highly likely” coordinated in Iran and that the IRGC was almost certainly behind it, as JFeed reported. He paired the attribution with a pledge of further action.

“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. 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,” Burnham said.

Earlier, on October 7, the United States pulled all 12 B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford after American officials warned of a possible Iranian plot against the aircraft and the several hundred US personnel stationed at the base.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the concern centered on a possible drone strike ordered by the IRGC.

At that point, police had arrested five British men and later detained a sixth suspect in London. None had been charged.