U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured on Monday that Washington has full confidence in the security of its military facilities, including the RAF Fairford airbase in the United Kingdom. He emphasized that, although any of these locations may be exposed to threats, they all have extensive protective measures in place to respond to potential risks.
" We have confidence in the security of all our bases, because all our bases could theoretically be threatened at any moment, and that is why they have so much security around them," Rubio declared in a video published by the State Department.
The secretary also highlighted the cooperation of the British authorities in the ongoing investigation: "We have been working very closely with the British for a long time, including in this investigation, and they could not be more cooperative."
Rubio's statements come just days after the U.S. urgently withdrew at least 12 B-1B Lancer bombers from RAF Fairford over the weekend of October 3 and 4, after receiving intelligence about a possible drone attack ordered or supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran against the aircraft and personnel at the base.
According to a report by The New York Times, the withdrawal occurred in response to that specific threat, and some aircraft left even before the tankers intended to refuel them in flight were ready.
The Pentagon confirmed that all U.S. bombers deployed in Fairford had returned to their home bases in the U.S., although it maintained that the Air Force retained the capability to strike "anywhere and at any time" despite the redeployment.
Within the Trump administration, divergent accounts emerged regarding the reasons for the withdrawal. The president openly stated that there was a threat against the bombers and that individuals connected to Iran were behind it.
The vice president JD Vance described it as a measure taken "out of an abundance of caution" and expressed "significant confidence" that Iran continued to engage in acts of terrorism against the U.S. and other countries.
Rubio, on the other hand, refused to directly link the withdrawal to the security incident from the previous week, presenting it as an ordinary redistribution of resources.
The episode is immediately preceded by the arrest, on September 27, of five British citizens in their twenties near the perimeter of RAF Fairford, following a tip-off from a resident about three suspicious vans parked about 100 meters from the base.
The five were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act under British anti-terrorism legislation and were subsequently released on bail with strict conditions.
A sixth person, with dual British-Iranian nationality, was arrested days later in London in connection with the same case.
Iran categorically denied any involvement in the incident and described the speculation as "unfounded and malicious," according to a statement from its embassy in London.
However, Rubio had already pointed out on September 30 that a "foreign actor" was "clearly" involved in the plot, linking it to Iranian threats against U.S. interests.
RAF Fairford was used as a launch platform for strategic bombers B-1B, B-2, and B-52 in Operation "Epic Fury", the joint military campaign of the U.S. and Israel against Iran that began on February 28, 2026.
In July of that year, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard had explicitly warned that any base used to attack Iranian territory would be considered a "legitimate target," mentioning RAF Fairford by name.
A military source from NATO indicated this Tuesday that Iran continues to be regarded as a serious threat to U.S. assets in the United Kingdom, amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran that show no signs of easing.
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