US bombers have been withdrawn from RAF Fairford and redeployed to their bases in America after an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the Gloucestershire airbase.
A Pentagon official, who was not authorised to discuss sensitive military movements, said the aircraft had been moved home. The official spoke on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
Aviation watchers had tracked dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers operating from the US-run base since the early stages of the war in Iran. Several B-1 aircraft were seen leaving RAF Fairford on Sunday.
The redeployment comes as Donald Trump considers his next steps in the conflict, including possible further strikes. The US president had initially told Americans that the campaign would last only weeks.
“We have decisions that I’ll make about Iran. Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is — it’ll either be the easy way, or the hard way,” Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio.
A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, following a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. Six people have been arrested and later released on bail during the investigation.
British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran, although Iran has denied involvement. The country has previously said that any base used to attack Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate target.
UK officials have also said that proxies linked to Iran were behind a series of arson and other attacks in Britain and elsewhere, including incidents targeting the Jewish community. They have warned that Tehran could widen its choice of targets in the UK if conflicts in the Middle East continue.
RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, has been used by American bombers during conflicts in the Middle East for decades.
