US military planes 'pulled out of second UK airbase over Iran threats'

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The US military is said to have withdrawn a number of aircraft from a second British airbase after reportedly receiving threats from Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported that two US refuelling tankers stationed at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk were diverted to Germany on Monday morning, while several other tankers at the base were moved to Germany and other locations later in the day.

The withdrawal comes weeks after Washington removed its bombers from RAF Fairford airbase over a suspected Iran-linked security incident, raising questions over security at British bases.

The WSJ reported that US officials are still discussing the precise nature of the threat to RAF Mildenhall.

Citing a US official familiar with the matter, the WSJ reported that the US upgraded the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to FPCON Charlie.

Force Protection Condition (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.

Cabinet minister Lucy Powell said the security of military bases in the UK was kept under review.

The education secretary told Sky News : “I can’t on those sorts of live operations, as you know.

“But we’re constantly keeping the security of our bases under review and, as we’ve seen with other cases recently, we take firm and quick action where we need to.”

The latest withdrawal of US forces comes weeks after a suspected Iran-linked incident at RAF Fairford in southwest England led to five men being arrested outside the airbase in September.

Two others were arrested later on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence, with the circumstances of the incident remaining largely unexplained.

RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, before the US removed its B-1 bombers from the Fairford airbase on security grounds.

Prime minister Andy Burnham said in October that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran, though Tehran’s ambassador to Britain has denied accusations that it was involved in any plot against the airbase.

The incident attracted huge international attention at a time of heightened concern the security implications for Western states as a result of the war between the United States and Iran.

Asked whether there was a specific decision that led to the withdrawal, Mr Trump said: “They didn’t fly out by accident. There were some threats.”

“Rather than tempting the enemy, we’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave him there? So we moved him around a little bit. Not very far,” he added.

A US Air Force spokesperson declined to provide the WSJ with details the movement of assets at RAF Mildenhall.

The spokesperson said, however, that US aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We do not routinely on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements.”