Trump secretly switched planes after Iran threat on Turkiye-Britain journey

US President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while travelling from Turkiye to Britain last month after US intelligence flagged a credible threat linked to Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post. The move came against the backdrop of rising military tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Trump was seen boarding the Air Force One jumbo jet in Ankara before being moved minutes later to a smaller military aircraft, an Air Force C-32A, through an airport catering truck usually used to load meals and supplies, the report said. Reporters travelling on the older Air Force One were not told that Trump was not on board, effectively turning that flight into a decoy.

Trump had travelled to the NATO summit in Ankara on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 that was added to the presidential fleet last month, but he later said on social media that he would use the "former Air Force One" for the return journey. The Secret Service also asked reporters to keep the aircraft windows shut as the older blue-and-white Air Force One took off from Ankara for Britain. The Post, quoting an unnamed US official, said a credible threat involving Iran had set the "deception operation" in motion. The New York Times and CBS News had also reported last month that intelligence officials identified a specific threat of an attack on the president or his aircraft, leading to extra precautions.

The report said this was not the first time such a method had been used for a US president's safety. In 2000, then president Bill Clinton travelled to Pakistan from India in an unmarked Gulfstream aircraft instead of Air Force One as part of tight security arrangements. At the time of last month's trip, Trump had said the new luxury jet was being flown ahead from Ankara so that US troops at Mildenhall in Britain could see the new Air Force One. The aircraft change had raised questions about the security of the Qatar-gifted jet, and Trump later said it would undergo more upgrades. After reaching Mildenhall, photographers captured images of Trump getting off the presidential plane, suggesting that he had re-boarded Air Force One out of sight of journalists who believed they were travelling with him. After a brief stop at the base, he boarded the new Air Force One for the rest of the journey to Washington.

During a conversation with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked whether there were any credible threats by Iran against Air Force One. "Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you," he said, and added, "But if I go, you go." While Trump was in Turkiye, the US military carried out a series of strikes in Iran in retaliation for attacks on merchant shipping in the region. Iran has said it will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz only if the US ends its blockade of Iranian ports and meets other conditions. Tehran shut the Strait after Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28. The closure of the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies had passed before the war, has kept energy prices volatile. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had emphasised that securing the Strait of Hormuz required an end to what he called the United States' aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of US obligations.

On Monday, Trump said on social media that he was directing his negotiators to seek compensation from Iran for "all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts over the years". The post came after Iran demanded compensation for the damage caused by US and Israeli bombardment over the past five months. Trump also said in an Oval Office exchange with reporters that the US had "100 per cent control" of the Strait of Hormuz, though the situation remained complex. The aircraft switch during his return from Turkiye highlighted the security concerns around the president's travel as the US-Iran standoff continued.

With PTI Inputs

US President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while travelling from Turkiye to Britain last month after US intelligence flagged a credible threat linked to Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post. The move came against the backdrop of rising military tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Trump was seen boarding the Air Force One jumbo jet in Ankara before being moved minutes later to a smaller military aircraft, an Air Force C-32A, through an airport catering truck usually used to load meals and supplies, the report said. Reporters travelling on the older Air Force One were not told that Trump was not on board, effectively turning that flight into a decoy.

Trump had travelled to the NATO summit in Ankara on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 that was added to the presidential fleet last month, but he later said on social media that he would use the "former Air Force One" for the return journey. The Secret Service also asked reporters to keep the aircraft windows shut as the older blue-and-white Air Force One took off from Ankara for Britain. The Post, quoting an unnamed US official, said a credible threat involving Iran had set the "deception operation" in motion. The New York Times and CBS News had also reported last month that intelligence officials identified a specific threat of an attack on the president or his aircraft, leading to extra precautions.

The report said this was not the first time such a method had been used for a US president's safety. In 2000, then president Bill Clinton travelled to Pakistan from India in an unmarked Gulfstream aircraft instead of Air Force One as part of tight security arrangements. At the time of last month's trip, Trump had said the new luxury jet was being flown ahead from Ankara so that US troops at Mildenhall in Britain could see the new Air Force One. The aircraft change had raised questions about the security of the Qatar-gifted jet, and Trump later said it would undergo more upgrades. After reaching Mildenhall, photographers captured images of Trump getting off the presidential plane, suggesting that he had re-boarded Air Force One out of sight of journalists who believed they were travelling with him. After a brief stop at the base, he boarded the new Air Force One for the rest of the journey to Washington.

During a conversation with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked whether there were any credible threats by Iran against Air Force One. "Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you," he said, and added, "But if I go, you go." While Trump was in Turkiye, the US military carried out a series of strikes in Iran in retaliation for attacks on merchant shipping in the region. Iran has said it will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz only if the US ends its blockade of Iranian ports and meets other conditions. Tehran shut the Strait after Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28. The closure of the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies had passed before the war, has kept energy prices volatile. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had emphasised that securing the Strait of Hormuz required an end to what he called the United States' aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of US obligations.

On Monday, Trump said on social media that he was directing his negotiators to seek compensation from Iran for "all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts over the years". The post came after Iran demanded compensation for the damage caused by US and Israeli bombardment over the past five months. Trump also said in an Oval Office exchange with reporters that the US had "100 per cent control" of the Strait of Hormuz, though the situation remained complex. The aircraft switch during his return from Turkiye highlighted the security concerns around the president's travel as the US-Iran standoff continued.

With PTI Inputs