US withdraws all B-1 bombers from UK’s Fairford base: report
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The United States has withdrawn all of its B-1 Lancer bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, citing security concerns tied to a suspected Iran-linked terror plot against the base, according to reports citing American officials.
Around a dozen B-1s had been stationed at the Gloucestershire base, which served as a key forward hub for US bomber strikes on Iran since March 2026 as part of the ongoing war.
The Pentagon stated that operational security had prevented real-time confirmation of the movements but acknowledged that “all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the US,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
The aircraft remain ready for global strike missions from the continental United States.
The withdrawal follows the arrest of five British men in their early 20s from London in the early hours of September 27 near the village of Whelford, close to the base.
A local resident’s emergency call about three suspicious white vans triggered a major response: armed officers arrested the men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, about 85 homes were evacuated, and bomb-disposal teams examined the vehicles.
No explosives were found, though petrol was reported in some accounts.
The suspects were released on bail the next day while the investigation continued; a sixth individual was later detained and also released.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the events.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the incident as involving “the hands of a foreign actor,” calling it “a very serious situation.”
President Donald Trump said the suspects had been “looking to do big damage” and expressed surprise at their release on bail, stating he “wouldn’t have done that.”
A senior US official told the Wall Street Journal that a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had recruited UK nationals for a multi-step plot aimed at attacking the bombers and killing personnel, including a diversion.
Iran has denied involvement.
British authorities have been more cautious, with the investigation ongoing and some officials questioning the sophistication of any planned attack.
Counter-terrorism police have stressed they are examining every angle, including possible foreign-state involvement.
The episode highlights how the US-Iran conflict has extended to allied infrastructure in Europe, with Fairford hosting one of the largest concentrations of American heavy bombers in Britain since the Cold War.
The bombers’ return ends a seven-month deployment that included combat and training sorties.
Future US operations against Iranian targets are expected to launch from American soil rather than the UK base.
