Iranian proxy forces threaten the safety of “Air Force One,” and Trump temporarily replaces the presidential aircraft during the NATO summit

ME News, July 25 (UTC+8): Multiple insiders revealed that during this month’s NATO summit visit by US President Donald Trump, after the US side found that Iranian proxy forces might target Trump and his presidential aircraft, the Secret Service advised him to change planes when leaving Turkey. Reports said that when Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey, he boarded a new Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar, but the plane had not yet been equipped with advanced defensive systems at the same level as the traditional “Air Force One.” After the US government identified the related threat, the Secret Service recommended that Trump switch to a previous-version Air Force One to depart.

Insiders said the threat was not specifically aimed at the Qatar-donated aircraft, but at Trump himself and any plane he would be traveling on. Previously, Trump said he changed aircraft so that US military personnel stationed in the UK could tour the new plane, and he denied any connection to security factors. But The New York Times reported that the aircraft-change decision was actually related to a security assessment. The report noted that the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 is still planned to undergo upgrades and retrofit work in the future to enhance the security capabilities required for the presidential aircraft. The White House said the aircraft is “fully capable of ensuring the safety of the president’s travel,” and that it would receive about one additional month of upgrades this fall.

The incident comes as tensions between the US and Iran continue to escalate. The report said US officials had previously received intelligence about Iran possibly planning actions targeting Trump, and the US side remains highly alert to the level of security threats to the president. (Source: ODAILY)