Supporters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are celebrating the suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford, bragging that “Britain is wetting itself” in fear of a terror attack.
Groups with links to the Islamic Republic’s henchmen reacted with joy at the news as British investigators examine whether there is a connection to Tehran.
“Britain is wetting itself, fearing the infiltration of its multi-layered security lines,” one IRGC-linked Telegram channel said.
“They know someone will do it, sooner or later,” another IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel said.
The comments emerged after five British nationals were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, the airbase used by American heavy bombers during the conflict with Iran.
All five were released on bail.
British authorities are investigating whether the suspected plot had links to Iran, although no such connection has been established.
Vatane Emrooz, a newspaper with connections to the IRGC, described the base as the “centre of American terrorists”, and celebrated the state of emergency declared around the base.
The paper argued that a suspected terror plot, even if unsuccessful, could pressure British authorities into removing US forces from the country, particularly if it triggered protests among local residents.
Radio Iran, the state broadcaster, also described the RAF base as “a base for spreading international terrorism”.
It accused the British government of hosting “Zionist-linked terrorist organisations”, by which it meant American troops.
Iranian authorities have previously accused Britain of hosting media outlets and organisations opposed to the Islamic Republic, describing them as terrorist organisations.
Iranian officials have also said that such entities could be considered legitimate targets for Iranian action.
The Iranian Embassy in London has rejected suggestions that Tehran was involved in the Fairford incident.
It accused British media outlets of spreading “unfounded and malicious speculation” in the UK intended to fuel what it called “Iranophobia”, orchestrated by Israel and the US.
The embassy also threatened that the Islamic Republic reserved the right to take legal action in response to what it described as “misleading and damaging media narratives”.
RAF Fairford has assumed particular strategic significance during the conflict with Iran.
The base is operated by the United States Air Force and can accommodate long-range strategic bombers, including the B-1B Lancer and B-52.
Then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on March 1 that Britain had approved a US request to use British bases for what he described as the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of striking Iranian missile capabilities.
American B-1 bombers were subsequently deployed to RAF Fairford and used in operations against targets in Iran.
The IRGC had then warned that it regarded bases used to launch attacks against Iranian territory as legitimate targets.
“Any base used to launch attacks against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for us,” the IRGC said.
The US military has used B-1 and B-52 bombers operating from Fairford during the conflict.
The runway is almost two miles long and reinforced to accommodate heavy aircraft, and serves as the US Air Force’s principal European forward operating location for strategic bombers.
The drama near the airbase unfolded just days after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband shook hands with his Iranian counterpart in New York.
“As the foreign minister said, we negotiate and fight at the same time,” one IRGC-linked Telegram channel said in response to the recent suspected attempt to attack RAF Fairford.
The comment came after recent remarks by Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, who said that the Islamic Republic was prepared to negotiate while continuing to fight at the same time.
Nabard, a Telegram channel affiliated to the IRGC, wrote: “If it is proven that groups supportive of the Islamic Republic of Iran attempted to take revenge for the martyred Imam [Ali Khamenei] only a few days after the meeting between the British and Iranian foreign ministers, this is an exact example of how the soldiers of Islam operate. We negotiate, shake hands and, at the same time, fight.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.