US aircraft leave RAF Mildenhall amid reported Iran threat

At least 10 US military aircraft left RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on 9 November, according to BBC reporting cited by POLITICO. The planes went to other US bases in Europe and Prestwick Airport in Scotland, as US officials considered a reported threat linked to Iran.

Reuters, citing a Wall Street Journal report, said two US refuelling tankers and several other tankers diverted to Germany and other locations that day. The precise nature of the threat remained under discussion among US officials, Reuters reported.

• POLITICO cited BBC reporting that at least 10 US planes left RAF Mildenhall.
• Reuters reported that the US raised security levels at Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition Charlie.
• The UK Ministry of Defence said it does not routinely comment on other nations’ activity; the US Air Force said aircraft move between locations for various reasons.

Why aircraft moved from RAF Mildenhall

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson told POLITICO that the department does not routinely comment on other countries’ activity and that aircraft and other assets move regularly for operational requirements. A US Air Force spokesperson told Reuters that aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for various reasons.

The earlier RAF Fairford incident

The Mildenhall movement follows the US withdrawal of bombers from RAF Fairford weeks earlier. Reuters reported that five men were arrested outside Fairford after a September security incident and that two others were later arrested on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence. Reuters said the incident’s circumstances remained largely unexplained and that it prompted the US to remove B-1 bombers from the base on security grounds.

Iran’s ambassador to the UK denied Iranian involvement in a plot against Fairford, Reuters reported. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that bases used to launch attacks against Iran were legitimate targets, according to Reuters. Those statements concern the earlier Fairford incident and do not establish the cause of the Mildenhall aircraft movements.

What the aircraft movements mean

The UK prime minister’s spokesperson told POLITICO that the US is a close security partner, with the governments sharing intelligence and assessing threats together; protecting bases was a priority, the spokesperson said. The reported destinations span other US bases in Europe, Prestwick and locations in Germany, but a complete aircraft count and destination list has not been confirmed in the cited reporting.