The U.S. has pulled out at least 15 military aircraft from a key airbase in eastern England following a reported threat linked to Iran. The development comes as the US Justice Department announced charges against three alleged “Iranian operatives” over their role in an alleged terrorist plot at Fairford Air Base.
Two Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft departed RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Tuesday, after at least 10 tankers and three CV-22 Ospreys were relocated the day before, according to flight-tracking data.
The tankers appeared to be heading toward Germany, while another landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the movements were prompted by a further threat from Iran, citing people familiar with the matter. U.S. officials have confirmed that aircraft were relocated because of a security threat but have not publicly identified its source or disclosed its precise nature.
The relocation follows the withdrawal of B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last month after a suspected security incident.
The B-1B bombers had arrived at RAF Fairford in March 2026 as part of Operation Epic Fury. Although the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April 2026, the B-1Bs remained stationed at Fairford amid sustained hostilities.
However, the U.S. quickly withdrew all 12 B-1B Lancers from the base on October 4, amid renewed threats against the facility. The Pentagon confirmed the bombers had returned to their home bases.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Pentagon spokesman reportedly said in a statement.
The aircraft departing Mildenhall were dispersed to several military installations across Europe, including Spangdahlem and Ramstein in Germany, Moron in Spain and Prestwick in Scotland.
Three CV-22 Ospreys moved to RAF Lakenheath, another U.S.-operated installation in Suffolk, while the KC-135 tankers went to locations outside Britain.
The Military Air Tracking Alliance, a group of open-source analysts monitoring military and government aviation activity, tracked the movements.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the relocation was a precautionary measure rather than a response to an immediate attack. Some aircraft were permanently stationed at Mildenhall, while others were temporarily deployed and could return, the official said.
USAF said aircraft routinely moved between military installations for training and operational purposes. It added that the U.S. forces were working with Britain to protect military personnel, civilians, contractors, and their families.
“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures are implemented or modified,” the statement said. “Together, we are taking coordinated and appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families.”
U.S. Charges Alleged ‘Iranian Operatives’
The US Justice Department announced charges against three people over their role in an alleged terrorist plot at Fairford Air Base.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani allegedly assisted in planning and directing the attack at the Fairford air base.
Police were called to the Fairford after a local farmer reported seeing a group of suspicious men with white vans. A US charging document states that Al-Hassani, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, directed unnamed individuals to drive to the base in the vans, some of which contained barrels of fuel.
It claims he earlier paid the group to buy metal objects that could be used as shrapnel and to disguise the vehicles as engaged in fuel delivery services.
Al-Saadi, 32, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national already jailed in New York on terrorism charges, allegedly passed coded messages to Al-Hassani and Mohajeri, 48, an Iranian national, to coordinate ahead of the plot.
Days after the incident, the Pentagon removed all its B-1 bombers from the British base.
“Anyone who plans a terrorist plot on a military base housing American service members will be prosecuted by the United States government,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Tuesday.
The trio was charged in an eight-count indictment that alleges their involvement in several other plots supporting Tehran.
U.S. authorities first detailed charges in May against Al-Saadi, accusing him of directing and urging others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, and to kill Americans and Jews, in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Iran.
He and his cronies were said to have planned and coordinated the attacks. They claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, and two in Canada, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in London in April, as well as several arson attacks on synagogues, Israeli businesses and Jewish schools in Amsterdam, Munich and elsewhere.
Al-Saadi has been in U.S. custody since May.
The three men are accused of conspiracy to supply material support to terrorist groups Kataeb Hezbollah and the IRGC, conspiring and providing material support for acts of terrorism, and conspiring to bomb a place of public use. Al-Saadi is additionally charged with attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosives.
UK police last month charged two British men with national security offenses related to the RAF Fairford incident. One was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, believed to be in Iran, and another with entering a prohibited place for a purpose “prejudicial” to the UK.
- By ET Online Desk with AFP Inputs
- Mail us at: editor (at) eurasiantimes.com
