Britain just accused Iran's own military of plotting to bomb an RAF base

Britain just stood up in Parliament and named Iran's own military as a terror suspect.

Andy Burnham, the UK Prime Minister, told MPs today that a bomb plot against RAF Fairford was highly likely coordinated in Iran. He said it was almost certainly directed by the IRGC. That's Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Not a proxy. Not a middleman. The Guard itself.

Burnham says quote "We will not tolerate these threats on our soil". He says Britain will crack down on Iran's criminal networks. And bring more sanctions.

So Britain didn't wait around.

It has already sanctioned two Iranian nationals. One is Ruhollah Bazghandi. Britain names him as the head of counterespionage inside the IRGC. The other is Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki. Britain says he's a facilitator for the Zindashti criminal network.

Ed Miliband, Britain's Foreign Secretary, summoned Iran's ambassador today. He says Iran's criminal networks and proxy groups are trying to undermine British security. He calls it unacceptable.

And here's the part that makes this bigger than Britain.

29 countries have signed a joint statement backing Britain's accusation. That's according to Iran International. Newsquawk separately puts the number above 25. Both agree the United States signed it. Iran International also names France, Germany, Canada and Australia, though that hasn't been confirmed anywhere else.

The statement says Britain has concluded the IRGC is willing to run operations abroad through covert networks and proxy actors.

So that's close to 30 governments, on the same day, agreeing an arm of the Iranian state went after an allied military base.

Now here's what actually happened at RAF Fairford.

Police stopped three vans near the base two weeks ago. Five British men in their twenties were arrested. Officers found petrol in the vans. No explosives. All five were released on bail under strict conditions.

A sixth suspect was arrested in Westminster a week and a half ago. A 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national, held on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. He's on bail too.

No one has been charged. All six men are still on bail while the investigation carries on.

So why RAF Fairford?

Because of what flies out of it. The base sits around 160 kilometres west of London, and American B-1 bombers have flown strikes on Iran from there since the war started in February. Iran's IRGC has already said any base used to hit Iranian territory is a legitimate target.

That's the threat the plot was reportedly built around.

And America had already moved. The US pulled all 12 of its B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford a week ago, over threat warnings tied to the suspected plot. A Pentagon official says American bombers sent to RAF Fairford have gone back to their home bases in the United States.

So America moved its bombers out before Britain even made this accusation public.

Iran has denied all of it. Iran's embassy in London said over a week ago that it rejects and condemns claims linking Iran to the incident. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, said at the time Britain was barking up the wrong tree.

No new statement has come from Iran's government since today's sanctions and joint statement landed.

And here's what we still don't know. No explosives were ever found. No one has been charged. The exact intelligence behind naming the IRGC hasn't been made public. Nobody has said whether the plot is still live.

Two weeks ago this was an unexplained roadside stop. Now Britain has named IRGC officers by name, and 29 countries are standing behind it.

Iran still hasn't answered that directly.