Trump's secret mid-flight jet swap reveals how personal the Iran war has become
It has emerged that President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while returning from the Nato summit in Turkey last month after officials received intelligence of a possible Iranian missile threat to his plane. The episode underscores how seriously the White House is treating Iranian threats of revenge amid the ongoing war.
New details have surfaced this week about extraordinary security measures taken to protect President Donald Trump from a suspected Iranian threat. While returning from the Nato summit in Turkey last month, Trump secretly transferred to a backup aircraft, while the presidential Air Force One 747 carried most journalists and White House staff as, in effect, a decoy. The president was moved between planes inside a catering truck. The operation, which took over a month to become public, was reportedly triggered by credible intelligence suggesting an Iranian missile threat to Air Force One. The White House has not disclosed specifics of the alleged threat.
A personal dimension to the war
The episode comes against the backdrop of the wider war with Iran, which began in February when the US launched a military campaign against the country. Shortly before that, an Israeli strike carried out with US approval and coordination killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders. Trump has previously suggested to a reporter that he personally felt targeted by Iran, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in the spring that Iran had tried to kill the president.
Threats against Trump from Iran are not new. They trace back to 2020, when he ordered the strike that killed Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani, prompting vows of retaliation from Tehran. Since then, several alleged plots against Trump have been uncovered, including two men arrested in 2024 — one recently convicted, the other still at large. Trump also survived a shooting at a campaign rally and an armed intruder near a golf course that same year.
Following Khamenei's funeral, banners and murals in Iran have carried explicit threats against Trump's life. Iran has denied involvement in earlier plots. Speaking to reporters after being reunited with the press plane, Trump acknowledged he is reportedly considered a top target by Iran.