Britain accuses Iran of planning to target an airbase used by US forces

Burnham said that the assessment of the British authorities indicates that "it is highly likely that this operation was coordinated from within Iran, and that it was almost certainly directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps."

He stressed that his country will not tolerate such threats on British soil, noting the activation of "all powers" to confront what he described as Iran's use of criminal networks.

In turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied the British accusations, noting that Britain did not provide any concrete evidence for its allegations.

It said in a statement: "The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the claims of British officials attributing a security incident to Iran, and the allegation that it was behind an attempt to target one of the airbases in that country."

It continued: "The British government cannot evade political responsibility and legal consequences for its claims by hiding behind vague phrases such as 'it is likely' and 'with high probability' without providing any evidence or justification."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also described the British accusations as a "vile conspiracy," and considered that London fabricated them with the aim of evading accountability against the backdrop of its support for US and Israeli military attacks targeting Iran.

** Fairford Incident

On September 27, British authorities stopped 3 minibuses in the Gloucestershire area on suspicion of carrying explosives toward the "Fairford" airbase used by US forces, which led to the evacuation of 85 homes in the neighboring village of "Welford."

The authorities arrested 5 people who were inside the buses before releasing them on bail later, while during the investigations, they arrested another person holding both Iranian and British nationalities.

The United States also relocated its warplanes stationed at the base, according to information received following the incident.

British authorities later released on bail a 22-year-old British man who had been arrested as part of the investigations related to targeting the base.

US military aircraft used the "Fairford" base following the start of Israeli and American attacks on Iran on February 28.

While Britain says the base is used by the United States for defensive purposes, research centers, including "Chatham House," and independent analysts have pointed to its use for offensive purposes as well.