U.S. Reportedly Evacuates Aircraft From Another UK Base Over Another Iran Threat

The U.S. evacuated several aircraft from another airbase in the UK over alleged threats from Iran, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the base in question is RAF Mildenhall in eastern England. Another outlet, Sky News, cited flight-tracking data showing nine KC-135 refueling tankers and three V-22 Ospreys leaving the base on Monday afternoon and evening. Most of them went to bases in Germany and Spain and one to Scotland.

The U.S. European Command (EUROCOM) said the move answered to a “variety of reasons” that could not be disclosed for protection measures. British Defense Minister Lucy Powell told Sky News that the UK is “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.”

Powell was making reference to the evacuation of aircraft from another base Fairford weeks ago, with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying earlier this month that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was “almost certainly” behind the foiled attack.

Speaking at the House of Commons, Burnham said he could “confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by the IRGC.” “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” Burnham added.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the government summoned Iranian ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi to question him on the matter. He told IRNA that Tehran “categorically rejects” the accusations.

Mousavi had also told the UK minister for the Middle East, Stephen Doty, that London has not provided any evidence to prove the allegations and Tehran stands ready to cooperate to clarify the matter.

A dozen U.S. bombers were evacuated from the military base following the incident. President Donald Trump said there was a drone threat against the assets. “There was a threat. We moved them around a little bit,” Trump told press. The remarks contradicted those of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed the move was part of “regular rotations” of assets and not tied directly to external threats.

Washington and London published a joint statement along with 27 other countries saying Iran has been using “violent attacks, including the acts of lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other hybrid activities against us and our partners.” It added that the most recent incident “demonstrates the IRGC’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors.”