The Pentagon confirmed that a dozen B-1 bombers were redeployed from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom to their home stations in the United States following a security threat attributed to Iran. The movement occurred over the weekend, and the U.S. military stated that its bomber force remains ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities from the continental United States.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the evacuation was a direct response to an Iranian threat. "They didn't fly out by accident ... there was a threat. We moved them around a little bit," Trump said. He added that the United States knows who was behind the threat and their links to Iran, warning that if Iran planned to launch a drone attack from British soil, they would "suffer greatly." Trump also stated his belief that Iran was responsible for the attempted terrorist attack on the Fly Dubai flight.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a different characterization of the move earlier in the day. Speaking to reporters, Rubio described the relocation as part of "regular rotations" of U.S. Air Force assets around the world, stating that the movement was not directly tied to the Iranian threat. "We have confidence in the security of all of our bases," Rubio said. He noted that the U.S. has been working closely with the British government on an investigation into the threat, describing the cooperation as significant.
British security forces arrested several dual British-Iranian citizens last week on suspicion of planning an attack on the base. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel provided intelligence to the United Kingdom that identified the threat of an Iranian attack. The Pentagon acknowledged in a statement that while operational security prevented real-time confirmation of asset movements, all U.S. bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have now returned to their home bases.