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

The United States military has moved aircraft from a second airbase in the United Kingdom “in the wake of a threat from Iran”, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Two US refuelling tankers and several other tankers that were using the RAF Mildenhall military base in eastern England diverted to Germany and other locations on Monday, the WSJ reported on Tuesday.

The report said the precise nature of the threat to RAF Mildenhall remains under discussion among US officials.

The US upgraded the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie, the WSJ report said, quoting a US official familiar with the matter.

FPCON Charlie is the second-highest defensive threat level in the US Department of Defense’s security system and occurs when intelligence indicates that a form of “terrorist” action is likely.

“We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations,” a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement.

“Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements.”

A US Air Force spokesperson said aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for various reasons.

The report comes weeks after five men were arrested outside RAF Fairford airbase in southwest England over a security incident, with two others arrested later on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence.

The circumstances of the September incident remain largely unexplained, but it prompted the US to remove its B-1 bombers from the airbase on security grounds.

It came at a time of heightened concern about the wider security implications of the US-Israel war on Iran.

RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers that carried out strikes on Iran.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran.

While Tehran’s ambassador to the UK has denied accusations that it was involved in any plot against the airbase, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in July that Fairford and any other base used to launch attacks against Iran were legitimate targets.