The latest:
All 12 US B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford in southern England have been flown back to their home bases in the United States, two US officials said, after commanders received fresh warnings of an Iran-backed plot against the installation. The Pentagon’s European Command confirmed the redeployment but declined to discuss any new threat intelligence. Britain’s Ministry of Defence refused to comment.
Details:
- The withdrawal: US officials said the pullout happened over the weekend with unusual speed, rare for an allied air base thousands of miles from a combat zone. Some aircraft and crews departed while refueling tankers were still being readied for the transatlantic flights. At least three jets had landed in South Dakota by Sunday.
- Pentagon statement: A Pentagon spokesperson said operational security prevented real-time confirmation of asset movements, but that all bombers deployed to Fairford had returned home. The statement added that the US bomber force, including B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft, remains ready to deliver global precision strike from the continental United States.
- What triggered it: A US official said the new information was part of the same threat stream that emerged roughly three weeks earlier, but that specific details and a sense of urgency escalated sharply in the final 24 hours, alarming commanders. Officials declined to describe the intelligence. Some bombers had arrived only last week on a routine rotation.
- The arrests: British police detained five men in white vans near the base on 27 September on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences. All were bailed with restrictive conditions after no explosives were found in the three vehicles, which carried petrol. A sixth suspect, a 25-year-old British-Iranian from London, was arrested Thursday and later bailed.
- London’s position: Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain has strong indications of Iranian involvement, telling the BBC on 30 September that London believes Tehran played a role and would disclose more in due course. No official confirmation has been issued of reported details of the plot itself.
- The alleged plan: The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials were aware of an Iran-linked conspiracy to kill personnel at the base and damage the bombers. A senior US official told the paper a Revolutionary Guard unit recruited British nationals for a multi-stage attack that included creating chaos in a neighbouring area.
- Washington’s line: Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed on Fox News to the hand of a foreign actor behind the alleged plot but gave no details. President Donald Trump said those involved planned to cause major damage, and criticised the bail releases, saying he would not have done that.
- Tehran’s denial: Iran rejected the accusations as baseless and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran, state media reported Thursday. Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi urged London to review what he called its inappropriate approach toward Iran. In July, the Revolutionary Guard warned that any base used to strike Iranian territory is a legitimate target.
- Israel’s warnings: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli intelligence passed warnings to British counterparts about a possible Iran-sponsored attack, without naming a target. A senior US official said Israel also alerted Germany that American bases there faced heightened risk, naming Spangdahlem and Ramstein specifically.
Background:
The British government authorised US use of Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israeli war with Iran. Twelve B-1s had been based northwest of London since.
Between the lines:
Removing the aircraft rather than reinforcing the perimeter is a judgment about protection, not distance: the Pentagon chose to operate from South Dakota rather than keep the fleet behind British security, a week after suspects detained outside the fence were bailed. Burnham’s acknowledgement of Iranian involvement and the MoD’s silence on the departure leave London carrying the July Revolutionary Guard warning.
What’s next
Watch whether British police re-arrest or charge any of the six bailed suspects, whether Washington seeks new protection arrangements before returning bombers to Fairford, and whether Germany raises force protection at Ramstein and Spangdahlem.
