US aircraft moved from RAF Mildenhall over reported threat from Iran

US aircraft were moved from an airbase in the UK following a reported threat from Iran.

According to flight tracking data, nine tankers and three Ospreys left RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk late afternoon and evening yesterday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the moves came after a threat from Iran, adding that the exact nature of this is not yet known and remains under discussion among US officials.

The tankers are all Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. Most have been moved to airbases in Germany and Spain, and one is now at RAF Prestwick.

The three Ospreys have moved to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on the activity of other nations. Aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements."

Cabinet minister Lucy Powell told Sky News on Tuesday morning that the security of military bases in the UK was kept under review.

She said she could not comment on live operations but added: "We're constantly keeping the security of our bases under review and, as we've seen with other cases recently, we take firm and quick action where we need to."

According to the Journal, the US has upgraded the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to the second-highest defensive threat level in the US Department of Defense's security system.

It reported that the posture change occurs when intelligence indicates that a form of terrorist action is likely.

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It comes weeks after the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford following a suspected Iran-related terror incident near the airbase.

US President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that "threats" led to the decision to remove the bombers, including B-1s, B-2s and B-52s.

However, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted that the RAF base remains secure.

It also comes after Mr Trump's surprise press conference on Monday, where he told reporters he believes the Iran war "militarily is effectively over" after meeting with Qatar's prime minister earlier in the day.

The US president also said in a post on his Truth Social platform that America was "locked and loaded" but the need for further strikes "seems to be quite unlikely".

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