UK summons Iran’s ambassador and sanctions two people over RAF Fairford incident

The UK summoned Iran’s ambassador and sanctioned two Iranian nationals on 12 October after Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps almost certainly directed a 27 September security incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The measures mark a stronger public attribution by Britain, although Iran denies involvement and no one has been charged.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he had instructed his department to summon the ambassador and tell Iran that Britain would not tolerate threats on its soil. The Foreign Office said Middle East minister Stephen Doughty conducted the meeting. Burnham said the government would also act against criminal networks and funding streams and bring further sanctions to restrict Iran’s capacity to harm the UK.

What the UK says happened at RAF Fairford

Burnham told MPs the government assessed that the incident was highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the IRGC. His wording went beyond his earlier public position on 30 September, when, according to the BBC, he said there were ‘strong indications’ that Iran had played a part. The government has not publicly set out the intelligence behind its more specific attribution.

The incident began on 27 September, when police received calls about three suspicious vehicles near the Gloucestershire air base, according to the BBC’s account of the investigation. About 85 households in nearby Whelford were evacuated and police established a 400-metre cordon. Police said petrol was found in the vans but no improvised explosive devices were found.

Iran denies involvement. AP reported that Iran’s ambassador reiterated Tehran’s denial and called on Britain to provide evidence for its claims. The public statements establish the UK’s position, but they do not disclose the material on which its intelligence assessment rests. The police investigation also remains unresolved, with no charges reported as of 12 October.

Who was sanctioned and what the measures do

The Foreign Office named Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom it identified as head of IRGC counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, whom it identified as a facilitator of the Zindashti criminal network. Those descriptions are the UK government’s stated basis for the designations. Neither man was identified in the announcement as having been charged over the Fairford incident.

Both designations carry an asset freeze, a travel ban and director disqualification under the 2023 Iran Sanctions Regulations. Burnham also promised further sanctions, but the government statements gave no date or detailed scope for additional designations. The two names announced on 12 October are the specific new sanctions identified in the Foreign Office statement.

Why RAF Fairford drew international attention

RAF Fairford has been used by US bombers to strike Iran during the ongoing war, AP reported. The Guardian reported that the US withdrew 12 B-1 bombers about a week after the incident. Those facts give the location strategic significance, but the public account does not establish what any suspect intended to do at the base.

Foreign ministers from countries including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, France and Germany issued a joint statement on 12 October. They condemned what they called Iran’s use of violent attacks and hybrid activities and said they recognised Britain’s attribution of Iranian involvement in the Fairford incident. Their statement describes the UK’s conclusion that the episode showed the IRGC’s willingness to project hostile activity abroad through covert networks and proxy actors.

The same statement referred to a recent campaign of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and US interests, which it said was claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya. Separately, the Foreign Office said it had identified at least 15 credible Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap people in Britain between 2022 and 2023, rising to more than 20 in 2025. Those are government figures and allegations, not findings about the seven people arrested in the Fairford investigation.