Iran again rejects UK accusations over Fairford airbase incident

Iran on Monday again rejected British allegations that Tehran was involved in an incident at a British airbase that is used by the US Air Force, while reiterating its willingness to cooperate in examining the case, state news agency IRNA reported.

During a meeting with British Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty, Iran’s ambassador to London, Seyed Ali Mousavi, “once again firmly rejected the allegations” concerning Tehran’s role in last month’s Fairford Royal Air Force incident, IRNA reported.

According to the agency, Mousavi called on the British side to “refrain from taking any position without evidence.”

He also stressed Iran’s readiness for “cooperation between the relevant institutions of the two countries” in examining the incident, noting that Tehran previously expressed its willingness to cooperate.

Earlier Monday, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that last month’s alleged terror plot at RAF Fairford was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also announcing sanctions against two Iranian men.

Addressing Parliament, Burnham said the UK assessment was that the alleged plot, which led to five arrests on suspicion of terror offenses, was highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran.

In late September, a major security incident took place at RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire airbase used by the US Air Force. The incident triggered a large counter-terrorism investigation.