Canada, U.K. allies vow action after RAF Fairford terror plot

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand joined her counterparts in 28 other countries in a statement condemning Iran's attacks against them and vowing to take action against anyone acting on behalf of Tehran. The statement comes after the U.K. cited Iran's involvement in a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford airbase in Britain.

The alleged terror plot was foiled Sept. 27 when police arrested five London-based men on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offenses after a tip-off that three vans had been heading to the military airfield, which has been used to strike Iran.

The statement released Monday said the U.K. had concluded the incident demonstrates the Iranian regime's "continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors" and comes after a recent string of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, U.S. interests and Iranian journalists.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), a group tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed responsibility for that string of attacks.

"Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce people on our territories through proxies or any other means is unacceptable," the statement reads.

It is signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"Iran should be in no doubt that we are united and remain committed to safeguarding our sovereignty and strengthening our international coordination," the statement also said.

The RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, England, is seen last week after police declared a major incident there and arrested several men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. The men have since been released on bail. (Toby Shepheard/Reuters)

U.K.'s Burnham says plot 'likely' co-ordinated by Iran

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford airbase in Britain was "highly likely" to have been co-ordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the IRGC.

"I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been co-ordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard," Burnham told Parliament.

Tehran has rejected any suggestion it was involved in the Fairford incident, saying it amounted to "unfounded and malicious speculations." Iran's ambassador to the U.K., Seyed Ali Masouvi, denied any Iranian role in the suspected RAF Fairford plot, according to Iran's state news agency.

Details around the suspected plot remain thin. The five detained men were later released without charge on police bail "under stringent conditions," and two other arrested men, including a British-Iranian national, have also been released.

Detectives have said petrol but no viable explosive had been found in vans seized along with the five men. However, both police and Burnham have pointed toward the involvement of a foreign state.

"We will not tolerate these threats on our soil," Burnham said. "We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, seen at an event in Manchester, England, last week, told U.K. Parliament Monday the suspected plot against RAF Fairford was likely co-ordinated by Iran. (Christopher Furlong/Reuters)

British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said he had summoned the Iranian ambassador while the ministry announced two Iranian nationals had been sanctioned.

The two men were Ruhollah Bazghandi, who Britain said was the IRGC's head of counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, a facilitator for the already sanctioned Zindashti criminal network, which is accused of involvement in several plots against Iranian dissidents.