US moves aircraft from second UK base over ‘threat from Iran’

What the report says

The United States has relocated military aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England after what The Wall Street Journal described as a threat linked to Iran, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on Reuters and the WSJ. The moves involved two refuelling tankers and several other aircraft, which were sent to Germany and other locations earlier in the week. The exact nature of the threat was not made public, and the reports said US officials were still discussing it.

Al Jazeera reported that the US raised the security posture at both RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition Charlie, a high alert level used when intelligence suggests a terrorist attack may be likely. UK and US officials gave limited public comment. A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said aircraft and other assets routinely move for operational reasons, while a US Air Force spokesperson said rotations between bases happen for various causes.

The latest relocation comes after a separate security incident at RAF Fairford in southwest England, where arrests were made in September and US bombers were later removed on security grounds. That earlier case has added to concern about the security of US-linked sites in Britain amid wider regional tensions involving Iran and the US-Israel conflict.