- This would be an unprecedented and brazen attack by Iran on a US base in Europe – with the potential for a dramatic escalation of the war in the Middle East.
- When asked by reporters on Monday whether Iran planned to launch a drone attack on the base from British soil, Trump replied: “I can’t tell you. If they did, they would suffer greatly.”
Driving the news: The dozen B-1 bombers were evacuated from the British base just weeks after being deployed there.
- The Pentagon said Sunday that “all U.S. bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have been redeployed to their home stations in the United States.”
- He added that U.S. military bombers, including B-1s, B-2s and B-52s, “remain ready to provide global precision strike capabilities, including through launch and recovery operations from the continental United States.”
Between the lines: The decision to move the bombers came days after British security forces arrested several dual British-Iranian citizens suspected of planning an attack on the base.
- U.S. officials say it is unclear whether those arrested are linked to the alleged drone attack or if they were planning a different attack.
Behind the scenes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had provided intelligence to the UK indicating a threat of Iranian attack.
- On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Netanyahu from the plane en route to Iceland, the State Department said.
What they say: Rubio earlier told reporters that the movement of the bombers was part of “regular rotations” of U.S. Air Force assets around the world and was not directly linked to an Iranian threat.
- But several hours later, President Trump contradicted Rubio and told reporters that the bombers were moved because of a threat to Iran’s security.
- “They didn’t leave by accident (…) there was a threat. We moved them a little,” he explained.
- Trump added that the United States knows who is behind the threat and their ties to Iran.
- Trump was later asked about the attempted terrorist attack on the Fly Dubai flight and said he believed Iran was responsible.
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