LONDON — The United States has moved its military planes from an air base in the United Kingdom amid threats from Iran.
A US official confirmed to NBC News that several military planes left RAF Mildenhall as security there increased.
They were operating under “enhanced force protection measures,” the official said. They do not speculate on the exact nature of the threat that appears to have led to increased security.
At least eight air refuelers and three Ospreys left the Suffolk base in eastern England on Monday, according to flight tracking data.
Some of the tankers, Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, were transferred to air bases in Germany and Spain, including one in the Glasgow Prestwick Airport area in Scotland. The Ospreys were moved to nearby RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
It comes weeks after the US withdrew its bombers from another base in Britain, RAF Fairford, after police foiled a suspected terror plot linked to Iran. The United States used bases in the United Kingdom to strike the Islamic Republic.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report this week’s moves and said the evacuation followed a threat from Iran, citing people familiar with the matter. The exact nature of the threat is not yet known and remains under discussion among U.S. officials.
“We are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of our aircraft, personnel and facilities,” a U.S. official told NBC News.
“U.S. Air Force aircraft rotate between installations and operating sites for a variety of reasons, including training and real-world requirements,” said a U.S. European Command official. “American military aircraft are hosted in accordance with access, basing and overflight agreements with our allies and partners. Due to the security of operations, we will not provide additional information on the movements of assets,” added the head of European Command.
A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defense said it “does not routinely comment on the activities of other countries”.
“Aircraft and other assets move regularly based on operational needs,” the spokesperson said.
This comes weeks after the United States withdrew its aircraft from RAF Fairford following reports of a possible Iranian drone attack, two U.S. officials previously told NBC News. The decision follows an investigation into a possible planned terrorist attack against the base, located in Gloucestershire.
Five men were arrested on September 27 after three suspicious vans were spotted heading towards RAF Fairford. Further arrests followed and two men were charged under the national security law.
The incident, which attracted widespread international attention, remains largely unexplained, although British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the activity was likely coordinated in Iran.
Although Tehran has denied involvement in any plot against RAF Fairford, its powerful Revolutionary Guards warned in July that any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory was a legitimate target.
Iran has vowed retaliation for any resumption of the US-Israeli war against it and has threatened to expand its response beyond the Middle East.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington had responded to concerns about Tehran’s reported threats against U.S. diplomats abroad by “moving people away from the threat.”
“Obviously, we are always concerned about the safety and security of our personnel and their families overseas,” Rubio said. “And so when we see something that could pose a potential threat beyond a certain threshold, we’re going to address it.”
Citing new “momentum” in negotiations to end the war, President Donald Trump on Monday downplayed the prospect of further U.S. attacks.
“Iran is finished militarily,” Trump said after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
Further US attacks “will not be necessary” at this point, but Washington remains “locked and loaded” should circumstances change, Trump told reporters at the White House.
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