US President Donald Trump secretly changed aircraft while returning from Turkey after a threat that Air Force One could be targeted with a shoulder-fired missile, the report said. On July 8, after a NATO summit visit in Ankara, Trump and several aides left the larger presidential aircraft in a catering vehicle and boarded a smaller, ordinary-looking C-32A government plane. Air Force One departed separately.

A source familiar with the matter said the threat emerged on the final day of Trump’s Ankara visit, amid heightened regional tensions linked to the ongoing US war involving Iran. The US Secret Service regarded the threat as credible and immediate, prompting a special security operation to conceal Trump’s location and movements. The New York Times reported that US officials were concerned Iranians had learned where Trump was staying, including his hotel floor.

Iranian state media and the Iranian embassy in South Africa’s X account circulated mocking memes after the operation became public. Tehran made no formal comment on the aircraft switch, while no immediate White House response was available. The report also said disagreements between the United States and Iran over a lasting end to the Gulf conflict remained unresolved.