The evacuation of American aircraft from Mildhall Air Force Base in England on Monday was linked to a threat from Iran, according to sources familiar with the situation who told The Wall Street Journal. The nature of that threat, and whether it is immediate or more general, is currently being discussed among US officials, they said. Two KC-135 stratotankers were diverted to Germany on Monday morning and did not return to Mildhall Air Force Base after flights in Europe, and several additional planes were diverted to Germany and elsewhere later in the day, according to flight tracking data and another official.

The evacuation of American aircraft from Mildhall Air Force Base in England on Monday was linked to a threat from Iran, according to sources familiar with the situation who told The Wall Street Journal. The nature of that threat, and whether it is immediate or more general, is currently being discussed among US officials, they said. Two KC-135 stratotankers were diverted to Germany on Monday morning and did not return to Mildhall Air Force Base after flights in Europe, and several additional planes were diverted to Germany and elsewhere later in the day, according to flight tracking data and another official.

An Air Force spokesman declined to provide details but said that planes regularly move between bases and different locations for a variety of reasons. The White House referred questions to the Pentagon. An American official told the publication that the level of security at the Mildhall and Lakenheath air bases has been upgraded to the Charlie level (FPCON), which is used in cases where intelligence indicates the likelihood of terrorist attacks or terrorist attacks.