Iran's IRGC calls RAF Fairford a target after US strike

Britain is facing direct threats from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber launched from a British airbase to conduct strikes inside Iran. The IRGC issued a statement on July 23, 2026, declaring that any base used to attack Iranian territory is a "legitimate target," specifically naming RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The warning also included a pointed threat against the British monarchy, accusing it of historical and ongoing aggression in the Middle East.

The escalation follows a U.S. bombing mission on July 21, where a B-1 bomber, capable of carrying two dozen 2,000-pound bombs, took off from RAF Fairford. The IRGC statement claimed the U.S. resorted to using bombers from the UK after depleting cruise missile stocks from naval vessels. This marks the first such mission launched from a British base under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer earlier in the week and continued the policy of allowing U.S. forces to use UK bases for defensive operations in the Middle East.

In response to the threats, the British government has sought to project calm and resolve. A government spokesperson stated that the nation's armed...