A day after the cryptic photo showed US President Donald Trump with a signed "Make Iran Great Again" hat, reports have emerged from the UK that the US has deployed special forces troops to British bases. Flight tracking data showed a sudden increase in US military flights arriving at RAF Fairford and RAF Mildenhall, the key UK bases for the U.S. Air Force.
The aircraft arriving at the bases included C-17 Globemaster III transport planes and AC-130 gunships. The C-17s usually carry the US’s MH-47 Chinook helicopters, but no choppers were directly seen at the base. Approximately 10 C-17 movements have been observed over a short period, and all these flights originated from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, according to UK media reports.
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While there is no official confirmation or verification, defence experts believe that the deployment and routing patterns hint they are special operations aviation units associated with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, according to the UK Defence Journal.
Something unusual appears to be going on today at RAF Fairford near Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, with at least 10 C-17A Globemaster IIIs with the U.S. Air Force arriving at the base or currently crossing the Atlantic from the United States. Almost all of the C-17s… pic.twitter.com/Gcrbjg6mGl
— Guns&Gadgets (@Guns_Gadgets) January 4, 2026
Something unusual appears to be going on today at RAF Fairford near Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, with at least 10 C-17A Globemaster IIIs with the U.S. Air Force arriving at the base or currently crossing the Atlantic from the United States. Almost all of the C-17s… https://t.co/LfyTSdEsQr
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
Units from this formation include elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 101st Airborne Division, and 160th SOAR. Their tasks include short-notice contingency operations, including the capture or extraction of high-value individuals, strategic airlift, and specialised aviation platforms.
Interestingly, RAF Fairford is a key US strategic air bridge into Europe. The last time similar increases in the C-17 activity at the base were observed was when the US B-2 bombers struck Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war.
Though there are chances that the forces now at the UK bases could be the ones used during the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week, speculations are that the fighters could be after the leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, who is facing widespread protests.
The US president warned again on Sunday evening against the violent crackdown on protests in Iran, stating the US would intervene if the regime killed protesters as it has in the past. This is the second time in the past two days that Trump has publicly warned about the Iranian protest.
Adding to speculations, a report that appeared in the Tel Aviv-based Jerusalem Post said there are indications that the US officials were weighing “some intervention” to help Iran’s protest movement. The report indicated that Israel could also be examining whether that operation makes action against the Iranian government possible. They are reportedly now exploring options short of a major invasion to prevent Tehran from crushing the protests.
In this context, Trump’s photo has set tongues wagging. Holly Dagres, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute, told Iran International that while the photo leaves room for interpretation, it shows the Iran issue is on the president's radar. “While much of the world’s focus is squarely on Venezuela, President Donald Trump’s comments about the ongoing protests and posing with the MIGA hat suggest his mind is also on Iran,” Dagres added, stating that though it would be tough to predict Trump’s next step, the clerical establishment in Iran won’t be resting easy.
