The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, a British airbase at the center of a counter-terrorism probe after a security incident last month.
The airbase was used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran, but police were called on September 27 after a group of men with several vans were reportedly engaged in “suspicious” activity. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the incident, but Tehran rejected the charge.
“We can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” according to a statement from a Pentagon official on Sunday.
The move comes after six British men, including a UK-Iranian national, were arrested and later released on bail, drawing rebuke from U.S. President Donald Trump, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed a “foreign actor” was involved. London gave Washington permission in March to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran,” and U.S. bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing from the base. Investigators found petrol in the vans reported for suspicious activity, prompting speculation about the motives behind the incident ranging from terror threat to fuel thievery, as the Iran war contributed to UK energy prices hitting record highs this week.
The withdrawal highlights how the Iran war is creating security pressures beyond the Middle East, particularly for European bases supporting U.S. operations against Tehran. RAF Fairford’s role in strikes on Iran has increased its strategic importance but also its potential exposure to retaliation or sabotage, with British authorities investigating possible foreign-state involvement in the September incident. The redeployment does not remove Washington’s long-range strike capability—the Pentagon stressed that U.S. bombers can operate globally from American bases—but it underscores the security challenges surrounding forward-deployed forces during a widening confrontation. Whether the bombers return to Fairford, and what the investigation establishes about the suspected plot, will help indicate whether the withdrawal represents a temporary precaution or a broader adjustment to the U.S. military posture in Europe. (AFP+EIR)
