Iran warns it will strike UK air base

USAF heavy bombers are stationed at RAF Fairford base.

The IRGC has warned the United Kingdom it will be targeted if USAF bombers at the RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire are deployed in operations against Iran. Tasnim reported the IRGC as saying, “any base used to attack Iranian soil is a legitimate target” after Fairford was used by B1B bombers. GB, a British news channel, reported:

The warning, distributed through the IRGC’s Telegram channel on Thursday, came after the organisation alleged that American B-1 bombers had flown from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to carry out bombing raids against Iranian territory.

The USAF 501st Combat Support Wing and Air Combat Command are stationed at the base. It hosts the stealth Northrop B-2 Spirit, B‑1B Lancer, and the B‑52H Stratofortress bombers. Additionally, there are air-to-air refueling tankers, large transports carrying munitions, tactical airlift equipment, cargo jets, and high‑altitude reconnaissance aircraft at RAF Fairford. If a post with a FlightRadar24 graphic can be believed, US B-B1 bombers from the UK are in transit to West Asia, as of this evening, July 23.

Ansarallah closed the Bab Al Mandab Strait in the Red Sea and hit two Saudi tankers soon after Iran struck another oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudis continue to impose a blockade on Yemen, although this is denied, and Ansarallah attacked as retribution for the blockade and a Saudi-linked attack on Sanaa’s international airport. The long blockade has resulted in famine.

“The group controls a narrow waterway known as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes,” reported USA Today. “Closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could trigger a ‌fresh surge in crude prices, disrupt fuel supplies and add strain on the global economy, Reuters reported.”

Trump threatened “major military punishment” in response to the Ansarallah attack. “A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships,” the president posted to Truth Social.

“Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night. Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.”

Trump’s extensive air and naval campaign against Ansarallah, despite the heavy bombing and significant costs, failed to achieve a decisive military victory or completely halt Ansarallah’s attacks. Consequently, Trump accepted a limited ceasefire and prematurely declared victory.

It is not likely Trump will have much success deterring Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz by inflicting “major military punishment.” In retaliation, Iran may bomb the RAF air base in the UK. Iran theoretically has missiles that can reach the UK, however, asymmetric methods, including proxy networks, cyber operations, and Shahed‑136 drone attacks from proxies inside Britain make more operational sense.