Iran threat prompted secret Trump flight from Turkiye: Reports

What the report says

US President Donald Trump was reportedly moved out of Turkiye last month in a covert security operation after an Iran-related threat, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing The Washington Post and The New York Times. The article says the switch took place as Trump left the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, with Air Force One used as a decoy while he traveled on a smaller military aircraft.

According to the reports, Trump publicly said he would leave on an older version of Air Force One, but was instead transported through a catering container to a C-32A aircraft that flew him to the United Kingdom. The press pool and some White House staff were reportedly unaware of the change. Journalists were told to keep their window shades closed, which added to suspicions that extra security measures were in place.

The article says the deception was prompted by what a US official described as a credible threat tied to Iran. It also notes that earlier reporting had linked the plane change to threats from Iran-aligned armed groups. Trump later appeared before reporters in the UK after stepping off the older Air Force One, though the exact transfer details were not clear in the reports.

The White House defended the security response and said the United States uses all available tools to protect the president. The episode highlights the security risks around Trump’s travel and the continuing tensions involving Iran and groups linked to it.