Iran has designated Britain's Royal Air Force Fairford base as a "legitimate target" following its use by the United States to launch a B1 bomber raid. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement threatening the "British regime" with attacks if it persists in supporting the U.S. war effort against Tehran.
The IRGC stated that the U.S. military, after depleting its cruise missile reserves from ships in the Indian Ocean, employed B1 aircraft departing from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. According to Iran's IRNA news agency, the IRGC asserted, "As Foreign Ministry officials have also clarified, any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target."
The B1 bomber, capable of carrying two dozen 2,000-pound bombs, took off from RAF Fairford on Tuesday, according to the U.S. news website Axios. This marks the first such mission launched from the United Kingdom since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and the first B1 mission conducted by the U.S. since the resumption of fighting in Iran nearly two weeks ago.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Prime Minister Burnham, who assumed office on Monday after Sir Keir Starmer's resignation, approved the use of UK military bases by the U.S. Burnham agreed to maintain the policy established under Starmer, allowing Washington to utilize RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia airfield in the Chagos Islands for "defensive strikes."
Axios reports indicate that the long-range aircraft was used to target IRGC assets, although the specific target remains unknown. During a previous operation, "Operation Epic Fury," B1 bombers were utilized to strike missile bases, command centers, weapons storage facilities, and air defense systems.
The IRGC's statement further warned, "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 [...] not to burden itself any further with this case."