US Evacuates Aircraft From RAF Mildenhall After Iran Threat, Reports Say

The US military evacuated aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, on Monday after a threat from Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Mildenhall is the second British airbase the United States has pulled aircraft from in recent weeks over a suspected Iran linked security concern.

Tankers sent to Germany

Two US refueling tankers that were using Mildenhall diverted to Germany earlier on Monday, while several other tankers at the base were moved to Germany and other locations later in the day, the Journal reported, citing flight tracking data and an official familiar with the matter. The precise nature of the threat to Mildenhall remains under discussion among US officials, and the reports do not establish whether it was imminent or more general.

A US Air Force spokesperson declined to provide details about the movement of assets and told the Journal that US aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons. A British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements." CNN said it has reached out to the Pentagon for comment. Reuters said the White House, the Pentagon and US European Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours, and that it could not immediately reach the US Air Force.

Security raised at two Suffolk bases

The United States upgraded the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the Journal reported, citing a US official familiar with the matter. FPCON Charlie is the second highest defensive threat level in the US Department of Defense system, and it applies when intelligence indicates that a form of terrorist action is likely. Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, which operates KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, and Lakenheath hosts US fighter squadrons.

The Fairford incident came first

The Mildenhall move follows the withdrawal of US B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran. Five men were arrested outside Fairford in the early hours of September 27 over a security incident, and two other people were arrested later on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence. British prosecutors charged two British nationals under the National Security Act in relation to the Fairford incident, with police saying the two were suspected of assisting Iran. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran. Tehran's ambassador to Britain has denied accusations that Iran was involved in any plot against the base, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in July that the Fairford base and any other base used to launch attacks against Iran were legitimate targets.

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, explaining the rationale for a sudden evacuation of diplomats from regional posts, the Journal reported. No public statement from the Pentagon had confirmed the reason for the Mildenhall movements as reports circulated on Tuesday morning.