Trump reportedly switched planes after Iran threat during Turkey departure

Donald Trump reportedly changed aircraft in secret as he left a NATO summit in Turkey last month, after US officials detected what they described as a credible Iranian threat to his plane. According to US media reports, he first boarded Air Force One in front of television cameras before being moved to a separate military aircraft using a catering truck. Journalists and some White House staff on board were reportedly unaware that he had been taken off the presidential jet.

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Officials told the BBC's US partner that the threat involved a possible Iranian missile attack on the aircraft. The White House has not confirmed the account. The reported operation took place after Trump had said during the summit in Ankara that he was Iran's "number one target", adding to the sensitivity around his travel arrangements.

The manoeuvre also came a day after the US renewed military strikes on Iran following the collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end the war. The reports say Trump had arrived in Turkey on a newer Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, but had announced that he would leave on the older Air Force One "for old time's sake". Footage from 8 July showed him boarding the presidential jet at Ankara airport, but he was then allegedly transferred to a smaller C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 often used by the vice-president.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs in an effort to make the flight appear routine. The episode matters because it points to the level of concern surrounding the security of a sitting US president during a period of heightened tension with Iran. Any credible threat against a presidential aircraft would raise immediate questions about protective procedures, intelligence handling and the extent to which travel plans can be altered without public disclosure.

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It also comes against the backdrop of renewed US military action and a breakdown in diplomacy, which have increased the risk of further escalation. The reported sequence also highlights the unusual logistics involved in presidential travel. Air Force One is normally treated as a highly visible symbol of US power, and any covert change of aircraft would be highly unusual.

In this case, reporters and staff were said to have been instructed to close window shades, while Trump later flew to the UK and then back to Washington on different aircraft. The reports say he was seen descending from the older jet after it landed at RAF Mildenhall, though it remains unclear how he moved back from the C-32A to the legacy plane. What remains unclear is whether the White House will confirm the reported threat, how serious the intelligence assessment was, and whether any formal security changes were made after the flight.

It is also not known what specific evidence led officials to describe the Iranian threat as credible. The key questions now are whether further details emerge about the alleged missile threat, the decision-making behind the aircraft swap, and whether the incident affects future presidential travel arrangements.

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