U.S. moves military aircraft from British base amid Iran threats

LONDON — The United States has moved military aircraft from an airbase in the United Kingdom amid threats from Iran.

A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that several military aircraft aircraft had left RAF Mildenhall as the security posture there had increased.

They were operating under “enhanced force protection measures,” the official said. They would not speculate on the exact nature of the threat that appears to have led to ramped up security.

At least eight air refueling tankers and three Ospreys left the base in Suffolk, eastern England, on Monday, flight tracking data showed.

Some of the tankers, Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, were relocated to airbases in Germany and Spain, with one moved to the area of Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland. The Ospreys were moved to nearby RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

It comes weeks after the U.S. withdrew bombers from another base in Britain, RAF Fairford, after police foiled a suspected terror plot linked to Iran. The U.S. has used bases in the U.K. to strike the Islamic Republic.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on this week’s movements and said the evacuation came following a threat from Iran, citing people familiar with the matter. It…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world