Estonian foreign minister: Iran's role in RAF Fairford incident affects Estonia's security
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna says Iran's involvement in the 27 September incident at the UK's RAF Fairford base has implications for Estonia's security. Estonia has joined a joint statement by 28 nations' foreign ministers condemning Iran.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has said that Iran's involvement in the 27 September incident at RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, England, bears on Estonia's own security. Estonia has joined a joint statement by the foreign ministers of 28 nations that accepts the United Kingdom's attribution of the incident to Iran and condemns Tehran's actions. Tsahkna announced the move on 12 October.
Why it matters to Estonia
Fairford is used by US forces. Tsahkna said this is relevant to Estonia because NATO's collective defense relies on allied infrastructure functioning and on troops being able to move quickly across Europe in a crisis.
He stressed that European security threats are not limited to Russia's activities. According to the UK's assessment, the events at Fairford show the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains ready to operate through covert networks beyond Iran's borders. Iran's hostile activity should therefore be treated as a European security question, not only a Middle East problem, he said.
What happened at the base
Five men, all UK nationals in their twenties, were arrested near the base in the early hours of 27 September after police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles. They were released on bail, and dozens of nearby homes were evacuated. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident "clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor."
A sixth man, a 25-year-old dual Iranian-British national, was arrested on 1 October. A seventh, a 22-year-old British national, was arrested on 7 October. No one has been charged.
The US withdrew its B-1 Lancer bombers, thought to number around a dozen, from Fairford; President Donald Trump cited threats. The UK summoned Iran's ambassador and sanctioned two Iranians, including the head of the regime's counterespionage operations. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs the incident was "almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard." Iran denies involvement.
In recent years, B-1 bombers have flown from RAF Fairford to take part in flyovers and defense cooperation exercises in Estonian airspace.
