Secret Iranian Threat Led Trump to Secretly Depart Turkey Using a Decoy Strategy

A credible threat from Iran, as assessed by U.S. intelligence agencies, prompted President Donald Trump to leave Turkey using an alternative military aircraft. Meanwhile, the White House publicly maintained that he was on board Air Force One, according to a report from The Washington Post released Monday.

This covert operation was executed at Ankara's Esenboğa Airport, where Trump attended the NATO summit on July 7 and 8. On camera, he boarded the iconic blue and white Boeing 747—known as the classic Air Force One—and waved from the stairs.

However, unbeknownst to reporters and some White House staff, Trump was discreetly moved via a hydraulic airport catering truck to the opposite door of the plane, where he boarded a C-32A Air Force jet parked nearby.

The C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 used for transporting senior government officials, flew to Mildenhall Air Base in the UK under the discreet call sign "Reach 18," with tracking systems turned off. Meanwhile, the classic Air Force One, carrying journalists and some White House staff, acted as a decoy and adopted the call sign "AF1" mid-flight.

Secret Operations in Response to Heightened Threats

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the C-32A separately using external stairs, as part of an effort to make the flight appear routine, and accompanied Trump to Britain, according to an official who spoke to the Post anonymously.

This operation took place shortly after U.S. forces resumed military strikes against Iran at Trump's directive, following a breakdown in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Iran had targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on July 6 and 7, prompting Trump to announce at NATO that the ceasefire was "over." The provisional ceasefire had been agreed upon in June in Switzerland and was supposed to last 60 days.

Turkey's Strategic Importance and Security Risks

Given Turkey's proximity to Iran, the perceived risk to presidential security was heightened. Both The New York Times and CBS News had previously reported that intelligence services identified a specific threat against the president or his aircraft as he departed the country.

Additional concerns included the new Air Force One—a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, valued at around $400 million—which Trump had used to travel to Turkey on July 7. Reports suggested that the plane, operational from July 1, lacked some of the defensive countermeasures of the classic presidential aircraft.

When asked by journalists why they were told to lower blinds on the plane in Turkey, Trump replied that it was "because we're probably on a dangerous flight because of the crooks we have to deal with," acknowledging that Iran considers him a top target.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to the Post with a statement defending the Qatari aircraft without denying the secret operation: "The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft equipped with high-level security protocols that ensure the president and his staff's safety."

The White House shared on social media that night that Trump had landed in Mildenhall "aboard the old Air Force One," along with a photo of the classic aircraft.

Former Acting Secret Service Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. emphasized the importance of keeping presidential protection methods confidential: "We need to keep the 'secret' in the Secret Service. The public should know what the president does daily, but the methods the Secret Service uses to keep the president safe must remain out of public view."

The Trump administration also issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists to identify their sources regarding the vulnerabilities of the Qatari aircraft, but later withdrew them, acknowledging mistakes in the process.