Iranian assassination threat forced Trump to fly secretly from Turkey: report

An Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump prompted an extraordinary secret operation last month, in which he flew from Turkey on a smaller military aircraft while the White House publicly stated he was aboard Air Force One, according to The Washington Post.

The operation occurred on July 8 as Trump departed a NATO summit in Ankara amid heightened US-Iran tensions following the collapse of negotiations and resumed American strikes.

Trump had arrived on a newer Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar.

Due to a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces—reportedly involving a possible missile attack on his plane—he publicly boarded the older legacy Air Force One in view of cameras, only to be secretly transferred minutes later.

He was moved via an airport catering truck, typically used for loading meals and supplies, from the opposite side of the aircraft to a nearby Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757.

Journalists and some White House staff boarded the legacy plane believing the president was with them; they were instructed to lower window shades. The older jet served as a decoy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also boarded the C-32A separately.

US officials described the threat as credible, with earlier reporting from The New York Times and CBS News confirming intelligence of Iranian proxies targeting Trump and whatever aircraft he used.

‘Israeli’ intelligence had previously shared warnings of plots against him.

The Qatar-gifted jet lacked the advanced defensive systems of the older Air Force One fleet.

At the time, Trump publicly downplayed the switch, saying he chose the older plane “for old time’s sake.”

He also repeatedly acknowledged the danger: “They want to take out the US leader – me,” he said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

He has called himself “No. 1 on the list for killing.”

The White House had maintained for weeks that Trump flew the former Air Force One from Turkey after the Qatari jet departed separately.

The Post’s reporting, based on an unnamed US official, revealed the elaborate ruse contradicted those statements.

Trump arrived at RAF Mildenhall in Britain on the C-32A shortly before the decoy plane.

The report notes that it is not clear how Trump was transported from the C-32A to the legacy Air Force One after landing in the UK; as he appeared on video descending from the stairs of the older Air Force One plane.

Trump has publicly warned of severe retaliation, stating on Truth Social that “1,000 missiles are Locked and Loaded” if Iran acts on threats against him, with orders already given for a potential year-long campaign to “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran.”