ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that a late-September security incident targeting a base housing US aircraft was "almost certainly" orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Following the statement, the UK foreign secretary announced fresh sanctions on two Iranian individuals and summoned Tehran’s ambassador over host of "continued threats" against the UK.
"I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed” by the IRGC, Burnham told the British parliament. He further noted that they will “bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."
His statement comes as five British nationals were detained on terrorism charges September 27, when the police noticed three suspicious vehicles driving near RAF Fairford, a military airbase used by the US Air Force. They were later released on bail as the investigations continued.
Iran unequivocally rejected involvement in the late-September security incident.
In a statement on September 28, the Iranian embassy in London described what it said “unfounded and malicious speculations” circulated about the incident, while labeling it as an effort to “fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK” and a byproduct of “misleading and damaging media narratives.”
Burnham assessed about a week later that there were “strong indications” to verify Iran’s involvement in the security incident.
"We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham stated on Monday, adding that they will “crack down on” Iran’s “criminal networks” by utilizing their “full range of powers” to “target them and their funding streams.”
Shortly after his statement, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband denounced Iranian efforts to “undermine the security of the United Kingdom and international partners through its criminal networks, proxy groups and state-backed malign activity.”
“As we have repeatedly made clear to Iran, Britain will not tolerate threats on our soil,” he added, in a statement shared by the UK foreign ministry.
He also noted that he has summoned the Iranian ambassador to "reiterate this message in its entirety.”
RAF Fairford houses B-52 and B-1 nuclear-capable strategic bombers reportedly used in recent regional military operations, including the US bombing of three nuclear facilities in Iran in June 2025.
The US military had reportedly pulled all its 12 B-1 bombers after suspecting a “potential drone attack” from the IRGC.
Miliband announced “major sanctions” against Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom he described as the "Head of Counterespionage Operations within the IRGC," and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, a "facilitator of the Zindashti criminal network, involved in several plots against Iranian dissidents."
“This Government will never waiver in our commitment to tackling Iran’s unacceptable actions and protecting our national security,” he added, stressing that they have already sanctioned the IRGC and imposed further sanctions on “those responsible for Iran’s malign activity.”
Meanwhile, 29 countries - including European countries, US, Canada, and Australia - led by the UK, issued a joint statement shortly after Miliband’s statement, saying that they acknowledge London’s “attribution of Iran’s involvement in the incident at RAF Fairford.”
“Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce people on our territories through proxies or any other means is unacceptable,” their statement read, clarifying that “Anyone who conducts hostile activities on behalf of Iran, or any other state, should know that we will take action to identify, investigate, disrupt, and prosecute these acts.”
