RAF Mildenhall base evacuated by US after 'threat from Iran' amid major Trump update

The US has evacuated an American aircraft from a Royal Air Force base in the UK after a threat from Iran, according to reports. This comes as US President Donald Trump told reporters that the Middle Eastern country was "over" militarily. The nature of the threat is under discussion among US officials , sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. It is not yet clear whether the threat is imminent or more general. Two US refuelling tankers using RAF Mildenhall diverted to Germany on Monday.

Several other tankers were moved to Germany and other locations later in the day, according to flight-tracking data and another official. A US Air Force spokesperson declined to give details on the matter. However, the spokesperson said in a statement that aircrafts rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons. The White House has referred questions to the Pentagon. The US raised the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to FPCON Charlie, which is the third-highest level in the Department of Defense's Force Protection Condition (FPCON) system.

It applies when intelligence points to a form of terrorist action that is likely, a US official told WSJ . It was earlier reported that a US official confirmed "enhanced force protection measures" at both bases, according to The War Zone . Lakenheath also asked the public to report suspicious drone activity, however it is not clear whether this is connected to the Iran threat. The evacuation comes after the withdrawal of all 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England last month.

WSJ reported the at the bombers' withdrawal was driven by concern about an Iran-backed plot to kill American pilots and target the aircraft with drones. Iran denied involvement. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said in October that Iran was in "advanced stages" of planning to target US personnel in the Middle East, which explained a sudden evacuation of diplomats from regional posts. Asked about that concern on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "We've addressed it by moving people away from the threat."

Congressional leaders known as the "Gang of Eight" received a briefing on Iran's threats on Monday, a person familiar with the meeting said. It does not appear that the US is planning any major escalation in the war after comments from President Trump. He told reporters on Monday, "Iran, militarily, is effectively over." He said, "We're just keeping it the status quo." The US leader added that Iran has been "decapitated" but said he is still looking to make sure there's a long-term solution to ensuring that its nuclear programme is defanged.

The comments were some of Mr Trump's most definitive about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the midterm election.