Just at the same time that the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, reaffirmed this Monday in the House of Commons his conviction that the hand of Iran was behind, "with very high probability", the alleged attempted attack on the Fairford air base, and pointed directly to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a joint statement from the foreign ministers of almost thirty countries supported this accusation.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the violent attacks perpetrated by Iran, as well as its attempts at lethal attacks, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid activities against us or our allies,” says a text signed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Canada or Spain, among other countries.
"We recognize the attribution to Iran made by the United Kingdom Government regarding its involvement in the incident of 27 September at Fairford Air Base. The United Kingdom has concluded that this incident demonstrates that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran remains committed to carrying out hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and third parties," the text states.
Immediately, the Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Seyed Ali Mousavi, has denied any involvement of his country in the attempted attack against the Royal Air Force base, and has expressed Tehran's offer to collaborate with the British authorities in the investigation of the matter, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Seven British men aged between 23 and 25 have been detained, questioned and released on bail since the day of the incident, on suspicion of planning a terrorist act.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham immediately assured that the United Kingdom had “strong indications” that Iran was involved in the alleged plot against the air base, used by US forces to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic. Tehran has denied its involvement in that attempted attack.
The base, located in the county of Gloucestershire (western England), has been used in recent months by American fighter jets to participate in the war offensive against Iran. And the British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, had already warned his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, during a brief meeting in New York, that "the United Kingdom was not going to tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activities on its territory."
The joint statement from the thirty countries warns Tehran that "they remain united and committed to safeguarding their sovereignty and strengthening international coordination, strengthening their national resilience, protecting their communities and ensuring that those responsible [for any attack] are held accountable for their actions."
The text recalls how recent campaigns claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a pro-Iranian Islamist group, have targeted Jewish communities, Iranian journalists or American interests throughout Europe.
"Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, attack or coerce the citizens of our territories through third parties or other means is unacceptable. Anyone who carries out hostile activities on behalf of Iran or any other State should know that we will take action to identify, investigate, stop and prosecute [those responsible] for these acts," the statement warns.
The British Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, who appeared before the House of Commons minutes after Burnham did so, announced that the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, has recalled the Iranian ambassador for consultations, and that the United Kingdom Government has imposed sanctions on two individuals, accused of carrying out espionage in Europe and the United States, as well as being involved in preparing attacks on behalf of Iran. “We will not hesitate to take the necessary actions to stop Iran's ability to threaten international security,” Mahmood said.
