Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna says Iran's involvement in the RAF Fairford incident has implications for Estonia's security.
Fairford is used by US forces. Tsahkna said that matters to Estonia because NATO collective defense depends on allied infrastructure working and troops moving quickly across Europe in a crisis.
The UK has attributed the 27 September incident to Iran. Estonia is joining a joint statement by the foreign ministers of 28 nations condemning it.
"Estonia joins the joint statement by other foreign ministers, in which we acknowledge the United Kingdom's attribution and condemn Iran's violent attacks and other hybrid activity," Tsahkna said.
"European security threats are not limited to Russia's activities. According to the UK's assessment, what happened at Fairford shows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's continued readiness to operate through covert networks beyond Iran's borders. This means Iran's hostile activity must be treated as a European security question, not only a Middle East problem," he went on via a ministry press release.
I join my fellow foreign ministers in recognising the UK's attribution of Iranian involvement in the 27 September incident at RAF Fairford and condemning Iran's violent attacks and other hybrid activities. Threats to military facilities used by our Allies affect us all. We need closer coordination between Allies to expose hostile networks and prevent further attacks. We will not be intimidated. https://t.co/VaRvmwTZ7M
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) October 12, 2026
Five men, all UK nationals in their twenties, were arrested near the base in Gloucestershire in the early hours of 27 September after police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles. They were released on bail. 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 pulled its B-1 Lancer bombers, thought to number around a dozen, out of Fairford. U.S. President Donald Trump cited threats.
The UK summoned Iran's ambassador, sanctioned two Iranians including the head of the regime's counterespionage operations, and joined 28 other countries in a joint statement condemning Iran's "lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other hybrid activities." Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs the incident was "almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard." Iran denies involvement.
B-1 bombers have in recent years flown from RAF Fairford to take part in flyovers and defense cooperation exercises in Estonian airspace.
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