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Recent remarks by former President Donald Trump appear to corroborate earlier US media reports that a fresh threat was behind the relocation of bombers from RAF Fairford following a significant incident on 27 September. On that day, police were alerted after spotting three “suspicious vehicles” near the airbase in Gloucestershire. When questioned by reporters outside the White House about whether a specific threat prompted the US to remove its bombers from the site, Trump acknowledged that “they didn’t fly out by accident” and confirmed the existence of threats which warranted the move to avoid “tempting the enemy.”
Trump further noted that Washington is aware of the individuals responsible for the threat but withheld their identities. Though the precise details of the threat remain undisclosed, sources in Washington speculated it likely related to sabotage efforts or attempts to target the expensive aircraft in anticipation of renewed conflict with Iran. One insider referenced Ukraine’s covert drone operation, known as Operation Spiderweb, which attacked several Russian bases in 2022, as an example of the level of threat posed by an adversary capable of striking from a distance. According to this source, the US authorities treated the threat with utmost seriousness.
Statements from Trump and former US official Vance stand in marked contrast to those of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who took a more cautious tone. Rubio stressed that moving military assets worldwide is routine, emphasizing that such rotations are part of normal military operations. He also expressed confidence in the security of US bases and praised the cooperation of British authorities following the incident. Meanwhile, Vance described the bombers’ removal as a precautionary measure, pointing to Iran’s longstanding history—“49 years”—of engaging in terrorism against the US and others.
The investigation surrounding the occurrence at RAF Fairford involves counter-terrorism police following the initial arrests of five men on terrorism suspicions, who were later released on bail. A sixth individual, a UK-Iranian national, was also detained and subsequently released. In the aftermath, Trump criticized the decision to release the suspects and suggested Iranian involvement, though Tehran has vehemently denied any connection. UK officials have not disputed that the bomber withdrawal was a direct response to the incident at the Gloucestershire airbase. Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated that there were “strong indications” linking Iran to the event, without elaborating further, and Rubio noted the involvement of a “foreign actor.”
RAF Fairford has a long-standing role as a forward operating base for the US Air Force, situated near the village of Whelford in the Cotswolds. Recently, the base has hosted B-1 and B-52 bombers flying missions to the Middle East, leveraging UK approval for defensive operations against Iran. However, the withdrawal of the bombers from Fairford is expected to reduce the US’s ability to rapidly deploy sorties against Iran, consequently lowering the threat level to some extent, according to Christoph Bergs, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute. Nonetheless, the base’s use was already restricted to defensive strikes by London’s mandate. Bergs also suggested that the bombers might be repositioned to locations such as Diego Garcia or Gulf bases, depending on factors like capacity, allied negotiations, and security considerations
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