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Counter-drone equipment is installed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, where a U.S. Air Force (USAF) unit is stationed, on the 27th of last month (local time). / Reuters, Yonhap

Thirty-two Western nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have issued a statement condemning Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after identifying it as the force behind a terror plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain.

In a joint statement released on the 12th (local time), the British Foreign Office listed 32 countries—including the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany—and stated: "(The foreign ministers of these countries) strongly condemn Iran's violent attacks, including lethal plots, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks, and other hybrid activities directed against us and our allies."

The statement added, "We acknowledge the United Kingdom’s assessment that Iran was involved in the incident at RAF Fairford on September 27," explaining that "the UK has concluded that this incident demonstrates the IRGC's ongoing willingness to conduct hostile activities across borders through clandestine networks and proxy forces."

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on the same day, "I can confirm our assessment that this incident was highly likely organized in Iran and almost certainly directed by the IRGC," Reuters reported.

Burnham warned, "We will not tolerate such threats on our soil. We will crack down forcefully on the use of Iranian criminal networks and deploy every power at our disposal to target these organizations and their financing."

He added, "We will impose further sanctions to constrain the ability of Iran and the IRGC to inflict harm upon us."

The British Foreign Office summoned Seyed Ali Mousavi, the Iranian ambassador to the UK, warning that Britain will not stand by in the face of threats to its territory.

Iran dismissed the allegations as "groundless and malicious speculation." According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Ambassador Mousavi countered, "We had absolutely no involvement in this matter," adding, "If the British government possesses documentation or evidence to support its claims, it must present it."

Located in southwestern England, RAF Fairford has been used by U.S. bombers conducting airstrikes against Iran. In the early hours of September 27, British police arrested five British men in their 20s near the base on terrorism and explosives-related offenses, and apprehended two additional individuals connected to the case by October 6. All suspects were subsequently released.

U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran likely plotted to carry out a drone strike. President Donald Trump recently ordered the withdrawal of bombers stationed at the base due to threats linked to Iran.

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min