Iran accuses UK of ‘false-flag’ terror plot at airbase

Iran has rejected accusations of plotting to attack a UK airbase, describing them as part of a false-flag operation aimed at covering up Britain’s involvement in the US war in the Middle East.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday after the UK government imposed sanctions on two Iranian individuals amid allegations of an Iranian-backed terrorist plot targeting RAF Fairford in southwestern England, which hosts US bombers flying missions against Iran.

The ministry said the allegations were aimed at “advancing an anti-Iran campaign and evading accountability for Britain’s involvement in the US-Israeli military aggression against the Iranian people.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects the baseless accusations against Iran and holds the British government, along with those who planned and carried out this clumsy false-flag operation, responsible for all consequences arising from these fabrications,” the statement read.

British authorities have remained on high alert since local residents alerted police to suspicious vehicles near the base last month. Counterterrorism police have arrested seven men in connection with the suspected plot, including a dual British-Iranian national. All seven have since been released on bail pending further investigation.

Addressing Parliament on Monday, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was “highly likely” that Iran was behind the alleged plot and that it had “almost certainly” been directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Foreign Office summoned the Iranian ambassador later that day.

The UK imposed sanctions on Ruhollah Bazghandi, described as the head of the IRGC’s counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, described as a “facilitator of the Zindashti criminal network, involved in several plots against Iranian dissidents.”

Tehran has previously accused Washington of using its confrontation with Iran to distract from domestic economic problems. In August, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that US President Donald Trump’s threats of intensified economic warfare were intended to divert public attention from mounting national debt and rising interest costs. He described Washington’s economic pressure campaign as “economic terrorism.”