US Relocates Aircraft from RAF Mildenhall Amid Iran Threat, Raises Security Alert

The US military has evacuated aircraft from a second British airbase following a threat from Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday. This follows Washington’s earlier decision to pull bombers from RAF Fairford over a suspected Iran‑linked security incident.

Two US tanker aircraft based at RAF Mildenhall diverted to Germany early Monday, with additional tankers relocated to Germany and other sites later in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US officials continue to assess the exact nature of the threat to RAF Mildenhall, the report said.

The United States raised the security posture at both RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The posture was increased to Force Protection Condition Charlie—the second‑highest level in the DoD’s system—triggered when intelligence indicates a likely terrorist act.

“We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements,” a British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

A US Air Force spokesperson declined to provide the Wall Street Journal with details about the movement of assets, but said US aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons.

Reuters could not immediately reach the US Air Force, while the White House, the Pentagon and US European Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Five men were arrested outside RAF Fairford airbase in south‑west England in September over a security incident, with two further arrests later on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence.

The circumstances of the incident, still largely unexplained, drew intense international attention at a time of heightened concern over the security implications for Western nations of the US‑Iran conflict, prompting the United States to remove its B‑1 bombers from the Fairford base on security grounds.

RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers to conduct strikes against Iran.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated from Iran.

While Tehran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom has denied any Iranian involvement in plots against the airbase, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared in July that Fairford and any other facility used to launch attacks on Iran are legitimate targets.

Source link