US Withdraws Aircraft from Second UK Base Following Iran Threat

The United States military has removed aircraft from a second air base in England in response to a threat from Iran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The move at RAF Mildenhall, located about 80 miles northeast of London, comes just weeks after a fleet of B-1 bombers was withdrawn from RAF Fairford in early October.

The report did not specify whether the threat to RAF Mildenhall was imminent or more general. However, two refueling tankers en route to the base were diverted to Germany on Monday morning, and additional tankers were moved off the base later in the day. The previous withdrawal from RAF Fairford followed the exposure of a drone attack plot by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the foiling of an alleged van bomb plot targeting the base, which led to the arrest of five suspects.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" that the Iranian government was involved in the bomb plot, while Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that the bombers were pulled from Fairford out of an "abundance of caution." President Trump told reporters on October 5, "We had an idea that there might be a threat. So why would I leave them there?"

On Monday, congressional leaders and the heads of the intelligence committees—known as the "Gang of Eight"—were briefed on Iran's threats to US interests as Congress returned to Washington following the midterm elections. The briefing followed an October 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that Iran "has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel" and that lethal plotting against US citizens had reached advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries.

Asked about the memo in Paris on Monday, Secretary Rubio said, "We've addressed it by moving people away from the threat." At the White House, President Trump told reporters that resuming strikes on Iran "doesn't seem to be a very necessary thing," citing ongoing negotiations and the preference of Middle Eastern partners like Saudi Arabia to continue blockading Iranian trade rather than pursuing a full-scale war. He added on Truth Social that the United States is "locked and loaded" and ready to respond to any developments in the Middle East.

The withdrawal from RAF Mildenhall underscores ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, with Washington taking precautionary measures to protect its assets and personnel amid heightened threats.