US President Donald Trump said the Pentagon pulled its bombers from RAF Fairford after “some threats” were made to the UK air base.
The US abruptly pulled the B-1 bombers from Fairford, one of its vital foreign military installations, over the weekend after the arrest of five men near the base on suspicion of terrorism.
The US has used Fairford to launch bombing raids against Iran, and Washington and London have signalled that Tehran could have been involved in the alleged threat.
“They didn’t fly out by accident,” Trump said as he was departing the White House for Nebraska on Monday. “There were some threats.”
The president added: “Rather than tempting the enemy, we’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave [the bombers] there? So we moved them around a little bit.”
Washington’s decision to withdraw the planes has come amid concern that seven months after the US launched the Iran war, Tehran may target American assets and allies beyond the Middle East.
US vice-president JD Vance on Monday said: “We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are trying to do what the Iranian state has done for 49 years, which is engage in acts of terrorism against the United States.”
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there are “strong indications” that Iran was involved in the incident near Fairford. Tehran has denied any role.
The prime minister’s spokesperson on Monday declined to comment on “foreign nations’ military operations” but moved to calm fears. Asked whether RAF Fairford was safe, the spokesperson said “yes” and pointed to comments from UK defence secretary Wes Streeting that there were “tried and tested approaches to defend our bases around the country and throughout the world”.
The bombers’ departure came a week after five British men in their twenties were arrested near the base on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences early on September 27.
A sixth man, a dual British-Iranian national, was arrested in London on Thursday on suspicion of terrorism offences. All six have been released on bail while investigations continue.
UK Counter Terrorism Policing officials have indicated their inquiries are focusing on the possibility that the men were engaged — wittingly or unwittingly — in a proxy operation inspired by a foreign state, probably Iran. The three vans the men were in contained no explosives, police confirmed after a search, but they did find a “quantity of petrol”.
RAF Fairford has the long runway needed for US B-1 and B-52 bombers to launch. It has played a vital role in the American bombardment of Iran, allowing a much shorter flight time to the country than from bases in the US.
The war, which the US and Israel launched in February, has upended global energy markets and strained relations between Washington and its allies. Iran has responded to strikes in recent months by launching drone attacks across the Gulf.
Trump on Monday warned Iran that it would “suffer greatly” if it had deployed drones in the UK.
Additional reporting by David Sheppard in London