American refuelling tankers have reportedly been evacuated from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk following a threat from Iran, with several aircraft moved to Germany and other locations.
On Monday morning, two tankers based at the base were moved to Germany, while several others were shifted to Germany and other locations later that same day, according to The Wall Street Journal. The exact nature of the threat is not yet known and remains under discussion among US officials, the newspaper reported.
Official Response and Context
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."
The development comes weeks after the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford following a suspected Iran-related terror incident near the airbase.
Political Statements
On Monday, President Donald Trump said the US was "seeing positive momentum toward an end" to the conflict with Iran. He wrote on Truth Social about an "excellent conversation" with Qatar's Prime Minister, noting that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others would prefer the status quo, and that all have agreed Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. He added that should there be any change in Middle East developments, the US is "locked and loaded," but that Israel and the entire Middle East "are protected from Iranian danger and threats."
Cabinet minister Lucy Powell said the security of military bases in the UK was kept under review. The Education Secretary told Sky News: "I can't comment on those sort of live operations, as you know. But 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."
