US moved refuelling tankers from RAF Mildenhall after Iran threat, WSJ reports

Update (11 Nov 2026): Fox News reports that unnamed US officials confirmed the relocation on Tuesday, with one US official, cited by the Associated Press, calling the moves precautionary, and that the US Justice Department has unsealed indictments against three alleged Iranian-backed operatives accused of plots across Europe, including against RAF Fairford. The link between the Mildenhall move and an Iranian threat still rests on the Wall Street Journal alone.

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has not confirmed why US military aircraft, including refuelling tankers and Osprey transport aircraft, left RAF Mildenhall in eastern England on Monday. The Guardian quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying: "We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements." Al Jazeera and Daily Sabah carried the same statement. According to Fox News, US officials confirmed the relocation on Tuesday. Fox News does not name the officials or say how the confirmation was obtained.

The UK prime minister's official spokesperson said, according to The Guardian: "As you know, the US is one of our top security partners. We’re in constant communication with them, sharing intelligence and accessing threats together. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements." Asked whether the government maintained that British bases were safe, the spokesperson answered: "Yes." Fox News reports that a 10 Downing Street spokesperson said British air bases remain secure and that London and Washington continuously share intelligence on potential threats.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, according to Fox News: "We are constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons." A US official cited by the Associated Press, as reported by Fox News, said the moves were precautionary.

The reported move follows an earlier incident at another base. According to The Guardian, five men driving three white vans were arrested at a village outside RAF Fairford in south-west England shortly after midnight on 27 September, over a suspected plot to attack the base. Fox News reports that British counterterrorism police stopped three suspicious vans headed toward the base that day. A bomb warning had been made, but no explosives were found. The men were released on bail. The US then withdrew its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford; Fox News describes them as heavy bombers. US President Donald Trump said that withdrawal was due to unspecified threats linked to Iran. RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers that carried out strikes on Iran. The Mildenhall move is the second withdrawal of US military aircraft from a British air base in recent weeks.

Two people have since been charged with national security offences in connection with the alleged plot. According to The Guardian, they are Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24. Both were charged under the National Security Act 2023 with assisting Iranian intelligence. Essghir was among those first arrested near the base. Abdulkarim is accused of buying the vans. Daily Sabah reports that one of those charged is a British-Iranian national.

According to Fox News, the US Justice Department on Tuesday unsealed indictments against three Iranian-backed operatives accused of involvement in coordinated plots across Europe, including against RAF Fairford. The reports do not describe any connection between the indictments and the Mildenhall relocation.

According to Daily Sabah, the conflict with Iran escalated after Trump ordered strikes on the country in late February alongside Israel. The Guardian reports that the Pentagon has taken a risk-averse approach to threats against aircraft on the ground since the first phase of the Iran war in the spring. According to The Guardian, an Iranian missile hit five KC-135 Stratotankers on the ground in Saudi Arabia in March. These are the same type of refuelling aircraft that were moved out of Mildenhall. The Guardian also reports that Trump is considering whether to renew the bombing of Iran. His Republican party was heavily defeated in last week's midterm elections.

What is reported

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing people familiar with the matter, the aircraft left RAF Mildenhall because of a threat from Iran. Every report reviewed by Vocemundi that links the move to Iran and identifies its sourcing attributes the link to the WSJ; Anadolu Agency's summary links the move to Iran without naming a source. No official source quoted in those reports confirms it. According to the WSJ, the precise nature of the threat remains under discussion among US officials.

According to the WSJ, as relayed by Daily Sabah, two of the withdrawn tankers diverted to Germany. Several other aircraft from the base moved to Germany and other locations later on Monday. The Guardian reports that tankers were relocated to bases in Germany, Spain and Scotland. Fox News reports that nine KC-135 Stratotankers were moved to airfields in Scotland, Germany and Spain. The Guardian reports that Osprey aircraft were sent to nearby RAF Lakenheath. Fox News reports that three CV-22B Ospreys were relocated there, and that RAF Lakenheath has hardened aircraft shelters.

A US official cited by the Associated Press, as reported by Fox News, said some of the relocated aircraft were on rotational deployments, while others were permanently stationed in the UK.

According to the WSJ, as relayed by The Guardian and Al Jazeera, a US official familiar with the matter said the US upgraded the security threat level at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath; The Guardian reports the upgrade took place on Monday. The base was placed under Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie. The Guardian describes this as the second-highest level in the US Department of Defense's system. It applies when intelligence indicates that a form of terrorist action is likely. Fox News also reports that commanders raised RAF Mildenhall's security level to FPCON Charlie, which it describes as the military's second-highest alert level. Fox News does not name a source for this.

Daily Sabah reports that RAF Mildenhall hosts the US Air Force's 100th Air Refueling Wing. The wing includes Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, Commando II and Osprey aircraft. According to Fox News, it is the only permanently based US tanker wing in Europe.

The Guardian reports that local residents are being advised to remain vigilant near Mildenhall and other bases used by the US Air Force in the UK. It reports that residents were not told they faced any heightened risk.

The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Reuters, The Japan Times, Daily Sabah, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and Fox News all credit the WSJ for the Iran-threat report. Anadolu Agency also reported the move, but its summary does not identify its sourcing. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi include only the WSJ's headline and a short summary, not its full text.

What is disputed

• Number of aircraft: The Guardian reports that ten air tankers were relocated and that Osprey aircraft were also moved. It does not give the number of Ospreys. Daily Sabah and SCMP cite Sky News, which used flight-tracking sources. According to Sky News, twelve aircraft left: nine tankers and three Osprey transporters. Fox News reports that 13 aircraft left, according to flight-tracking data and Military Air Tracking Alliance analysts cited by the Associated Press. Fox News's own breakdown lists only 12 by type: nine KC-135s and three CV-22B Ospreys.
• Number of arrests over RAF Fairford: The Guardian reports that five men were arrested outside the base on 27 September. Daily Sabah reports that seven people were arrested, two of whom were charged. The figures may refer to different stages of the investigation. The reports do not reconcile them.
• Iran's role at RAF Fairford: The British prime minister has attributed the incident to Iran. Tehran's ambassador to Britain has denied that Iran was involved in any plot against the airbase.

What each side says

• UK prime minister's official spokesperson: The US is one of the UK's top security partners, and the two countries share intelligence. Aircraft and assets move regularly according to operational requirements. Asked whether British bases were safe, the spokesperson answered yes. According to Fox News, a Downing Street spokesperson said British air bases remain secure.
• UK Ministry of Defence: The ministry does not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and assets move regularly according to operational requirements.
• Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State: Washington routinely repositions military forces around the world for a variety of reasons. He told reporters, according to Fox News: "We are constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons."
• US official (unnamed), via the Associated Press: According to Fox News, the official said the moves were precautionary, and that some relocated aircraft were on rotational deployments while others were permanently stationed in the UK.
• US Air Force: According to The Guardian, a spokesperson said: "US Air Force aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons, including training and real world requirements. US military aircraft are hosted in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements with our allies and partners. Due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets."
• Luke Pollard, UK junior defence minister: At a military conference in Oslo, he said "it was a decision for the US where they place their military assets". He also said the UK is investing more in counter-drone capabilities and base protection, according to The Guardian.
• Lucy Powell, British lawmaker: She told Sky News, according to Daily Sabah, that security at military bases is under constant review. She said: "I can't comment on that sort of live operation." She added: "As we've seen with other cases recently, we take firm and quick action where we need to."
• British sources (unnamed): According to The Guardian, they said there was no immediate or direct danger to the base or the nearby area.
• UK security officials (unnamed): According to The Guardian, they said Iran does not have the capability to launch an explosive attack on a UK base. They said Tehran may threaten to do so to disrupt US military calculations.
• Donald Trump, US president: He said further attacks on Iran were "highly unlikely". On Monday he also said Washington was "seeing positive momentum toward an end" to the conflict. He has said the earlier B-1 withdrawal from RAF Fairford was due to unspecified threats linked to Iran.
• Trump allies, including Vice-President JD Vance: According to The Guardian, they blamed the Iran war for the Republicans' poor midterm results.
• British Prime Minister Andy Burnham: Last month, he said the activity at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated in Iran. Daily Sabah reports that he said Iran's Revolutionary Guard "almost certainly directed" the September incident.
• Iran's ambassador to Britain: He has denied that Iran was involved in any plot against RAF Fairford.
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: In July, it said RAF Fairford and any other base used to launch attacks against Iran were legitimate targets.

What the reports do not include

The reports do not describe the nature, specificity or urgency of the alleged Iranian threat. No US or UK official quoted on the record confirms that the move was a response to such a threat. The US officials who, according to Fox News, confirmed the relocation are not named. The FPCON Charlie upgrade has not been confirmed by any named official source; it rests on a single anonymous US official cited by the WSJ and on Fox News reporting that does not identify its source.

The reports also do not include on-the-record confirmation from the Pentagon, the White House or US European Command. According to text carried by The Guardian, Reuters said these bodies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Daily Sabah reports that the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and that the 100th Air Refueling Wing did not immediately respond to a request from Agence France-Presse.

The exact number of aircraft moved remains unclear. The reports do not explain the discrepancy between 13 and 12 aircraft, or identify the type of a possible 13th aircraft. They do not say whether or when the aircraft will return to RAF Mildenhall. They do not describe any connection between the Justice Department indictments and the Mildenhall relocation. The reports do not say who advised local residents to remain vigilant. They do not include any Iranian government response to the Mildenhall reports.

Analysis

The aircraft movement is now supported by at least four origins: the WSJ, The Guardian's own sources, Sky News flight-tracking data and Associated Press reporting drawing on Military Air Tracking Alliance analysts, carried by Fox News. They agree that KC-135 tankers and Osprey aircraft left the base and broadly agree on destinations, though their counts still differ, now ranging from 12 to 13 aircraft. The central claim that the move responded to an Iranian threat, however, still rests on the WSJ alone, citing unnamed people. The nature of that threat remains undescribed.

Official accounts remain general. The UK government says aircraft move for operational reasons and that British bases are safe. The US Air Force cites operations security, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio says forces are repositioned for a variety of reasons. An unnamed US official describes the moves as precautionary, which is consistent with, but does not establish, a threat-driven move. Unnamed British sources and security officials quoted by The Guardian play down any immediate danger and dispute Iran's capability to mount an explosive attack on a UK base. In contrast, a reported FPCON Charlie upgrade would indicate that US authorities saw a heightened risk. Fox News now also reports that upgrade, but without naming a source, and no named official has confirmed it.

The Guardian's reporting on a risk-averse Pentagon posture since the March strike on KC-135s in Saudi Arabia offers one possible context for a precautionary move. The reports do not establish that this was the reason. The UK charges and the US indictments reported by Fox News give the RAF Fairford episode a firmer legal footing, but the reports do not connect either to the Mildenhall move. Further clarity could come from on-the-record statements, details of the threat, the return or continued absence of the aircraft, or court proceedings in Britain and the United States.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.