U.S. Pulls Aircraft From a Second British Base Over Reported Iran Threat, but London Says Bases Are Safe
The U.S. Air Force moved at least 10 refueling tankers and three Osprey aircraft out of RAF Mildenhall in England on Monday over a possible Iranian threat, The Guardian reported, the second hasty U.S. pullback from a British base in two months.
The KC-135 tankers went to bases in Germany, Spain and Scotland, while the Ospreys were sent to nearby RAF Lakenheath.
The base was placed under Force Protection Condition Charlie, the Pentagon’s second-highest threat level, which signals that some form of terrorist action is likely.
A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that the aircraft left as the base’s security posture increased and said they were operating under “enhanced force protection measures,” NBC News reported. The official would not discuss the nature of the threat.
The BBC said it had not independently verified that the move was tied to Iran. Flight tracking data showed KC-135s leaving Mildenhall throughout Monday, the BBC reported, with little aircraft movement at the base afterward and no visible added security.
An Air Force spokesperson said aircraft “rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements” and that the service would not discuss asset movements for operational security reasons.
Downing Street insisted British bases are safe. “The protection of our bases, both in the UK and across the world, is a top priority,” the prime minister’s spokesperson said, according to the BBC.
British security officials believe Iran lacks the ability to launch an explosive attack on a base in Britain, though Tehran may threaten one to disrupt U.S. military planning, The Guardian reported.
The Pentagon has taken a cautious approach to threats against parked aircraft since an Iranian missile hit five KC-135s on the ground in Saudi Arabia in March, the paper said.
Lord Ricketts, a former British national security adviser, said the tankers are large, vulnerable targets.
“Nobody knows at this stage what this information was. I suspect part of it is an abundance of caution,” he told BBC Radio 4.
The move follows the withdrawal of U.S. bombers from RAF Fairford after five men were arrested near that base on Sept. 27 over a suspected plot, The Guardian reported.
Two men were later charged with assisting Iranian intelligence. Iran’s ambassador has denied involvement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in July that Fairford and any other bases used to launch attacks against Iran were legitimate targets.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked Monday about Iranian threats to American diplomats overseas, said, “We’ve addressed it by moving people away from the threat,” NBC News reported.
The pullback came the same day President Trump said “Iran militarily is effectively over” after meeting Qatar’s prime minister. He said further U.S. attacks “won’t be necessary” for now, though Washington remains “locked and loaded.”
About 3,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed at Mildenhall, roughly 80 miles north of London, according to the BBC. The base has served as a staging area for aircraft and supplies bound for the Middle East.
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