Iran is preparing further attacks on US airbases in Britain, it can now be revealed.
The Pentagon was reported yesterday to have withdrawn at least 12 aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk following Iranian threats against US military facilities.
Nine air-to-air refuelling tankers were transferred on Monday from RAF Mildenhall to bases elsewhere in the UK, Germany and Spain.
The move followed concerns among US authorities about the threat posed by Tehran.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Iran, encouraged by the disruption caused by an alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford in September, now wants to carry out similar low-level attacks on other US airbases using criminal proxies in Britain.
The US is expected to continue relocating aircraft as it takes an extremely cautious approach to threats against its valuable equipment and personnel.
The Mail understands there was no specific threat against RAF Mildenhall. However, the Pentagon did not want to risk leaving aircraft exposed if Iran was planning further attacks on US military sites.
RAF Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, the only permanent US refuelling wing in the European combat zone. The unit operates KC-135 Stratotankers.
A US Air Force jet is pictured on the tarmac at Prestwick Airport in Scotland after leaving RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk earlier this week
The fighter jet pictured after taking off from RAF Mildenhall on Monday
The vans believed to have been linked to the alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in September
Analysts say that simply threatening a US base and forcing military planners to alter their calculations would be viewed as a success in Tehran.
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Last month, MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum indicated that Iran’s objectives had expanded. The regime had previously concentrated on Jewish and Israeli targets, dissidents, journalists and others it viewed as opponents.
Speaking at MI5 headquarters at Thames House, Sir Ken said Tehran now wanted to target ‘harder targets like military sites’. He added that the alleged plot at RAF Fairford was ‘not unique in the UK’.
A major incident was declared in that case after five men were arrested in three vans containing suspected explosives. The material was later found to be a single container of petrol.
Although the alleged operation, which was directed by an Iranian handler, was unsophisticated, it had a significant impact. The US subsequently withdrew its B-1 bombers from the Gloucestershire base, which had been used to launch airstrikes against Iran during the conflict in the Middle East.
The response showed Tehran that even crude plots carried out through unwitting or incompetent criminal proxies could cause substantial disruption.
More than 12,000 US military personnel are based in Britain, operating from more than a dozen sites. Security at those facilities is complicated by the size of the areas they occupy, while aircraft on the ground can often be seen from locations accessible to the public.
Donald Trump said earlier this week that the US was ‘seeing positive momentum’ towards ending its conflict with Iran
President Donald Trump said meanwhile that the US was ‘seeing positive momentum toward an end’ to the conflict with Iran. Whitehall sources said the threat in Britain was expected to continue even after the fighting ends.
Alicia Kearns, the shadow foreign minister, warned: ‘Until Burnham grows a backbone and takes defence seriously, our allies won’t trust us.’
A US official said: ‘US Air Force aircraft rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons.’
In Washington yesterday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed efforts to impeach him over the Iran war as a stunt.
He accused Thomas Massie, the Republican behind the proposed impeachment vote, of sabotage and attempting to ‘damage’ Mr Trump. Mr Hegseth maintained that the US had secured a ‘flawless’ victory against Iran.
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