U.K. blames Iran for foiled terror plot at RAF Fairford air base

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham accused Iran of planning a foiled terror plot that allegedly targeted a U.S.-run military base in England last month. Investigators are nearly certain that Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps planned and directed the bomb threat, Burnham said while addressing Parliament on Monday. British counterterrorism police arrested five individuals near the RAF Fairford air base in southern England on suspicion of violating explosives and terror laws.

Investigators arrested seven individuals suspected of involvement in the plot, and they remain out of police custody on bail. Authorities also found large amounts of gasoline inside three vans linked to at least five individuals arrested. The United Kingdom will not tolerate domestic threats and planned to crack down on Iran’s criminal funding network and enact new sanctions, Burnham said.

How are countries responding? In a Monday statement, the United States joined nearly 30 other countries in condemning Iran’s repeated plots. The coalition recognized the U.K. attributing the RAF Fairford incident to Iran, according to the joint statement. U.K. investigators noted that Iran’s involvement proved its continued willingness to project hostility beyond its borders via shadow networks and proxy actors, the statement continued.

Iran’s embassy in the United Kingdom denied Tehran’s involvement in the plot, according to a statement released at the time of the incident.