U.S. Relocates Key Military Aircraft from Second British Air Base Amid Iran Tensions

London
|

Nov. 10, 2026, 3:14 p.m. ET

|
3 min read

The United States has moved additional military aircraft, essential to its campaign against Iran, from a second British air base.

In response to reported Iranian threats, two U.S. refueling tankers and other aircraft were discreetly relocated on Monday from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England to facilities in Germany, Scotland, and Spain.

This move follows the earlier, sudden withdrawal in early October of roughly a dozen U.S. Air Force bombers from RAF Fairford in southwestern England, which was redeployed just days after police detained five masked individuals with three white vans located about 250 yards from the base fence.

Details regarding the new threat to aircraft at RAF Mildenhall have not been disclosed, beyond its connection to Iran. U.S. and U.K. officials indicated that Iran was believed to have been involved in a suspected plot to target American aircraft or pilots with explosives or drones.

Two men were charged on October 27 under the U.K. National Security Act; one faces accusations of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service and operating under the direction of a handler identified as Mr. Ali, who is thought to have departed the country on Iran’s behalf.

Iranian officials have denied any involvement. However, since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on February 28, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has repeatedly threatened any nation that assists or hosts U.S. military operations. In the war’s early weeks, Iranian missiles and drones struck U.S. bases throughout the Middle East, causing significant damage.

The Pentagon reports that Iranian retaliation has resulted in $3.7 billion in equipment losses, including nearly 60 aircraft, through late June, and has damaged hundreds of buildings across eight countries.

In July, the IRGC specifically referenced RAF Fairford, and Iranian officials warned that any resumption of hostilities after a period of relative calm could prompt them to broaden their attacks beyond the Middle East.

Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially declined to permit the Pentagon to use British bases for strikes against Iran, amid concerns about the legality of the U.S.–Israeli operation. In early March, he told the House of Commons that the United Kingdom “remembers the lessons of Iraq” and “has learned those lessons.”

Several U.K. bases have been jointly operated with the United States since the early 1950s. Mr. Starmer later permitted the use of U.K. bases solely for defensive air operations.

On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at his first news conference since May, refrained from commenting on the withdrawal of American aircraft from the United Kingdom, aiming to preempt impeachment proceedings in the House. He defended his conduct of the Iran war, following criticism from senior Republican politicians who said the unpopular conflict cost the party control of Congress in last week’s midterm elections.

Hegseth stated, “In Operation Epic Fury, by every measure, we achieved a historic military victory that struck 13,000 targets inside Iran and severely degraded its military capacity,” adding, “History will judge this very differently than current conventional wisdom.”

Source link