The United States withdrew a fleet of twelve B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, the air base roughly 90 miles west of London, over the weekend after officials grew concerned about a possible Iranian drone attack on the site, according to multiple reports.
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported on Monday that the plot was devised by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was intended to destroy US aircraft and kill American personnel stationed at the base. US officials described the scheme as “complex, multipronged.”
Some officials believe the plan may have drawn inspiration from Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web, a June 2025 operation in which Kyiv launched explosives-laden drones hidden in sheds on semi-trucks against five Russian air bases across five regions, striking aircraft including Moscow’s nuclear-capable bombers.
The decision to move the B-1s back to the United States came days after British authorities said they had foiled an alleged terror plot targeting RAF Fairford. Police said five British nationals appeared to have been plotting a van bomb attack on the airfield.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that the Iranian government was involved in the original plot, which investigators believe targeted Fairford specifically because of the American bombers kept there.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Monday that the aircraft were withdrawn “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are trying to do what the Iranian state has done for 49 years, which is engage in acts of terrorism against the United States and against a lot of other people as well,” Vance said. “We are being extremely cautious.”
President Trump also suggested the US had intelligence pointing to a threat against the base. “We had an idea that there might be a threat, so why would I leave them there?” he told reporters.
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