The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a chilling warning to the British Royal Family and threatened military bases in the UK after the US launched an attack involving what Tehran claims was a mission from RAF Fairford.
It remains unclear whether the long-range B1 bomber departed directly from Fairford, in Gloucestershire, to carry out its mission against Iran, or whether it made a stopover before launching from a US base in Europe or elsewhere, as has occurred on previous occasions.
While Fairford is nominally an RAF base, it primarily serves as a European forward operating base for the US Air Force, which stations its heavy bombers there on standby for operations in regions such as the Middle East.
IRGC expands target list to include UK
The Tehran regime now claims to have expanded its list of targets for potential strikes to include the UK, and even issued threats against the Royal Family, in retaliation for Britain permitting the US to use British bases for its bomber aircraft.
According to US news website Axios, the B1 bomber - which can carry two-dozen 2,000lb bombs - departed from RAF Fairford on Tuesday. However, the Mirror understands it may have stopped off en route and that B-52 bombers targeted IRGC bases during the latest wave of attacks.
The precise target of the B1's mission in Iran has yet to be confirmed, however Axios reports the long-range aircraft was deployed to strike IRGC assets.
IRGC statement threatens 'British regime' and monarchy
The IRGC's statement today threatened the "British regime" with strikes if it continues to back America's war effort against Tehran. Its press release stated "any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target" before warning the "British monarchy".
The statement claimed the monarchy is "the main cause of the misfortunes of the people of our region" and urged that it shouldn't "burden its case any further."
It said: "We warn the British monarchy, which is the main cause of the misfortunes of the people of our region and has a dark record of dividing Islamic countries, widespread massacres in these countries, imposing authoritarian governments, and worst of all, organizing and leading the occupation of Palestine and the creation of the Israeli Nakba, and has participated most in the recent aggressions of the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, not to burden its case any further."
Referring to the US use of the base, the IRGC said: "The aggressive US military, which had been using cruise missiles from its ships in the Indian Ocean in its aggressions after the official resumption of the war, turned to using B1 aircraft flying from Fairford Air Base in England yesterday, as the missile reserves of the aforementioned ships ran out. As Foreign Ministry officials have also clarified, any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target."
UK government responds
The UK government told the Daily Mirror on Thursday: "For operational security reasons we do not comment on foreign nations military operations."
However, responding to the threat specifically directed at RAF Fairford, a Government spokesperson stated: "Our Armed Forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from abroad. The UK stands ready 24-7 to defend itself. This includes through operating a layered approach to air and missile defence, provided by the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities working closely with our NATO allies."
RAF base used for 'defensive' strikes
In March, then Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted permission for the base to be used by the USAF on 'defensive' strikes against Iranian forces, reports the Mirror. He resisted pressure from US President Trump to directly involve British forces in the conflict with Iran.
The Mirror also reports the Prime Minister was briefed about the decision taken last week to prolong the current agreement permitting the US to utilise UK bases in defence of the Middle East, including US defensive operations to diminish the missile sites and capabilities of Iran to strike shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Escalation in Middle East
RAF Fairford's role in the Iran conflict has proved deeply contentious, with peaceful anti-war protests held at the base in opposition to the US bombing campaigns.
Tuesday's sortie marked the first occasion the US has conducted a B1 mission since hostilities in Iran resumed almost a fortnight ago. The redeployment of heavy bombers to the US mission has coincided with a significant build-up of American military forces in the Middle East.
Additional US Special Forces are being dispatched to the region, alongside extra squadrons of fighter jets.
The most recent statement from the IRGC, entitled "Warning to the British monarchy", emerged as violence has escalated across the Middle East following the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US. After a 12th successive night of US strikes, the Iranian military group cautioned "this time we will not allow America to replace its oil and ammunition reserves with deceptive ceasefires and then resume attacks".
The Houthis, an armed Islamist faction aligned with Iran, targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday evening, having declared a blockade of the Bab al Mandeb Strait on Tuesday. These most recent strikes have sent oil prices surging, with crude topping $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
The Bab al Mandeb Strait, situated at the southern gateway to the Red Sea, serves as a critical chokepoint for oil tankers and cargo vessels transporting goods across the globe.
