Trump explained the withdrawal of B-1s from Britain as a threat. The media draw analogies with the Ukrainian “Web”

US President Donald Trump said that a possible threat allegedly associated with Iran was the reason for the emergency withdrawal of all American B-1 bombers from the British airbase.

BBC and New York Times sources believe there could be plans for an attack similar to Ukraine's Operation Web, in which truck-borne drones flew out of trucks and attacked Russian airfields.

All 12 US bombers were withdrawn from RAF Fairford in southern England over the weekend. Britain allowed the US to use the base for strikes in its war with Iran, limiting attacks to defensive missions in the Persian Gulf.

Last week, five British citizens were detained near the base, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously described as a legitimate target, on suspicion of plotting sabotage. Later, they, like another suspect, were released under police supervision.

Trump told reporters on Monday that the decision to remove the B-1 from the British air base was made because of a potential threat allegedly associated with Iran.

“We had the idea that there might be a threat and why would I leave them there? It costs very little money to move them [the bombers],” he told reporters. “We had a threat, and if we are threatened, we simply move them to another place.” “And by the way, we know those who created this threat,” he added.

Asked if they were connected to Iran, Trump replied: “They are most likely connected to Iran.”

At the same time, US Vice President J.D. Vance spoke less categorically on Monday. “We believe with some confidence that the Iranians, as you know, are trying to do what the Iranian state has been doing for 49 years, which is to commit terrorist acts against the United States and other [countries], so we are exercising extreme caution,” Vance told reporters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio even told the press that there is no direct connection between the sudden withdrawal of bombers and the alleged Iranian conspiracy. According to him, the Pentagon is “constantly reallocating resources to where they are needed.”

The exact nature of the threat that prompted the US to withdraw aircraft from the Fairford base remains unclear, but sources in Washington suggested in an interview with the BBC that it could be an attempt to sabotage or attack expensive and vulnerable aircraft in the event of renewed hostilities with Iran.

A Nato source told Reuters on Monday: "Iran is still considered to pose a significant threat to US assets in the UK." British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously said that any plot linked to the Fairford base was likely to be backed by Iran.

Iran rejected the suspicions against itself and called them baseless, and the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social network X: “You are barking up the wrong tree.”

The Fairford base, located 145 kilometers west of London, is considered one of the most important European bases used by the United States, as it is one of the few suitable for basing heavy bombers such as B-1 aircraft, Reuters notes. The base has played a key role in US military operations in the Middle East, although bombers are not permanently stationed there.

During the war with Iran, the United States received permission from the British government to use Fairford base exclusively for so-called defensive strikes in response to Iranian attacks in the Persian Gulf. Britain refused to allow the US military to use the base to launch offensive strikes against Iran. This approach led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries.

On Sunday, the Pentagon officially confirmed the Wall Street Journal's report that "all U.S. bombers stationed at Fairford Air Force Base have returned to their permanent home bases in the United States."

The New York Times reported that the American command received new information about the impending attack on the British base, which complemented warnings about the threat received three weeks ago, and prompt action was taken after specific details became known. According to the publication, the B-1s took off even before the tankers intended to ensure their flight to the United States were fully prepared for takeoff.

Now the New York Times writes that the decision to urgently withdraw all 12 American bombers was made based on information received about a possible drone attack ordered by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The publication's American and British sources claim that the planned attack was part of a complex, multifaceted plot to strike aircraft and kill some of the American personnel (several hundred people) at the Royal Air Force base.

“Some sources said they believed the plan was partly a copy of the daring attack Ukraine launched against Russia last year, when it secretly flew drones deep into Russian territory and launched them from trucks,” the New York Times article said.

Last June, Ukrainian drones attacked four airfields during Operation Web, including in the Irkutsk and Murmansk regions. Then “at least a dozen” aircraft, including strategic bombers, were damaged, the publication notes.

A BBC source close to the White House also cited Ukraine's Operation Web as an example of what an adversary can do even from a distance. “Whatever the perception of this threat, it was taken very seriously,” he said.