The United States urgently withdrew all 12 of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain after intelligence warned of a potentially complex Iranian drone attack targeting the aircraft and U.S. personnel at the base, according to American media reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. and European officials believed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind plans to damage the bombers and kill personnel, including American pilots.
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US B-1 Lancer strategic bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Britain ahead of a strike on Iran
(Photo: AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
U.S. officials said the suspected plan may have resembled Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb, in which drones were smuggled deep into Russia and launched near military airfields, damaging several strategic aircraft. The possibility raised concerns that small drones launched close to a base could threaten even heavily protected military installations.
President Donald Trump acknowledged Monday that intelligence about a threat had influenced the decision to move the bombers. "We had an idea that there might be a threat, and why would I leave them there?" he said. Asked whether those behind the threat were linked to Iran, Trump said: "They would be linked to Iran."
Vice President JD Vance said Washington believed Iran was continuing a decades-long pattern of terrorism against the United States and others. "So we are being extremely cautious," he said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more cautious, saying he could not confirm a direct connection between the suspected plot and the redeployment.
British officials said RAF Fairford remained safe and declined to comment on U.S. military decisions. The U.S. Air Force said the bombers had returned to their home stations in the United States.
US President Donald Trump
(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump later addressed the war with Iran during a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, where he played down rising fuel prices. "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," he said, adding: "They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."
Trump also said the war would end "very soon" and was "essentially almost over with." Referring to Iran, he added: "They always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it."