World
• Analysis
RAF Fairford threats 'almost certainly' directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, says Burnham
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham told parliament on Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was "almost certainly" behind the RAF Fairford threats of late September 2026, the strongest UK attribution so far.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 12, 2026
• 2 Min Read
What Burnham told MPs
Addressing parliament on Monday about the RAF Fairford threats, Andy Burnham gave the strongest UK attribution to date, naming Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the directing force behind the late September 2026 incident.
"I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards."
Burnham's wording went beyond the prime minister's earlier statement, made in the days after the incident, that there were "strong indications" Iran had played a part. He said the UK would bring further sanctions against Tehran and the IRGC, with more information to follow in an update from home secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The incident at Fairford
Shortly after midnight on 27 September, five men from London drove to Whelford, a village next to the base used by the US air force, in three white vans.
- •Five men, all from London
- •Three white vans
- •Arrival in Whelford shortly after midnight on 27 September
The men were released on police bail a day later after no bombs or explosives were found.
Bombers withdrawn and US concern
A week after the incident, 12 B-1 bombers were withdrawn from the base. Reports said the US was concerned about a possible drone attack on a base it had used to attack Iran during the Middle East war in the spring and summer.
What remains unclear
It remains unclear what authorities think happened at Fairford. Some experts have speculated it was a "feint" to show Iran could in theory attack a relatively open site. British sources have repeatedly maintained Iran lacks the capability to launch a sophisticated drone attack, but the incident unnerved the US about the security of its bases in Europe.
