The United States has pulled all 12 of its B-1 bombers out of Royal Air Force Fairford in southern England after a fresh security warning raised concerns about a possible Iran-linked threat to the base, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times.
The move was carried out with unusual urgency over the weekend. Some of the aircraft reportedly departed before tanker aircraft needed to refuel them on their journey home had even been fully assembled for the mission. By Sunday, at least three B-1s had reached their base in South Dakota.
Before their withdrawal, 12 B-1 bombers were operating from RAF Fairford, an airfield northwest of London, and according to Reuters had been used to support the U.S. campaign against Iran.
U.S. European Command confirmed the withdrawal but offered no details about the intelligence that prompted it.
“We can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to R.A.F. Fairford are redeploying to their home stations in the United States,” the command said in a statement.
“U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements.”
British and American authorities continue investigating a recent security incident near Fairford that raised questions about possible Iranian involvement. The latest warning, according to one U.S. official, was connected to concerns that had surfaced several weeks earlier. What changed was the immediacy of the information: officials became sufficiently alarmed during the preceding 24 hours to bring the bombers home.
Some of the B-1s had only recently arrived at Fairford as part of a routine rotation. The airfield has been an important operating location for American bombers during the war involving Iran and Israel.
The security investigation began last weekend, when British police detained five men who had been traveling in white vans near the base. The suspects were released on bail after searches of the vehicles found no explosives, but police have stressed that the investigation remains active. A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested later in the week on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there are indications that Iran was involved in the events. American, British, German and Israeli officials have also examined possible links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or another Iranian military organization. Iran has rejected the allegations.
The episode has produced an unusually complicated investigation, involving the evacuation of 85 nearby homes, a bomb-disposal robot examining the vans and a national-security meeting involving senior British officials.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
