U.S. Pulls B-1 Bombers From RAF Fairford After Credible Iran-Linked Threat
All 12 deployed B-1s were rushed back to U.S. bases after allied intelligence warned of a planned, Iran-supported operation that raised the risk to NATO airfields.
Overview
- The Pentagon and U.S. European Command confirmed late Sunday that every B-1 bomber at RAF Fairford has returned to its U.S. home bases following a rapid withdrawal ordered by commanders.
- U.S. officials said the pullout was unusually fast, with some aircraft departing before aerial refueling tankers were fully in place, reflecting the urgency of the threat assessment.
- British police detained five men near RAF Fairford and later released them on bail while separately arresting a dual British-Iranian national on suspicion of planning terrorism as part of ongoing inquiries.
- Allied intelligence agencies compiled the warning from intercepted communications, informants and partner inputs including Israeli alerts, and confidential reports flagged drone-enabled attacks and risk to other bases such as Spangdahlem and Ramstein.
- U.K. and U.S. leaders have publicly attributed planning to Iran-linked actors while Tehran denies involvement, and officials have withheld detailed intelligence to avoid exposing sources and methods.