United States President Donald Trump secretly left the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, choosing a military aircraft other than Air Force One, due to an assassination threat attributed to Iran. The operation was first reported by the Washington Post on Monday, August 10, citing anonymous sources, and was subsequently confirmed by Trump himself on Wednesday, August 12.

According to the Washington Post reconstruction, confirmed by multiple outlets, Trump initially boarded Air Force One in front of the cameras, then secretly left the aircraft through a vehicle used for airport catering. He then reached a C-32A Air Force military plane and departed Turkey heading to Great Britain. The press pool and most of the US delegation were unaware of the operation. The White House had at the time communicated that the president was flying aboard Air Force One.

The threat that prompted the operation included the possibility of a surface-to-air missile attack against the presidential aircraft. According to sources cited by the New York Times, the Iranians knew precisely where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of the building. The presence of a person carrying a shoulder-fired missile near the summit was also reported. This intelligence was considered sufficiently credible by US intelligence services to prompt the administration to organize the diversionary maneuver.

Trump stated on August 12 that he had switched planes on the recommendation of the intelligence services, adding that the aircraft he traveled on was actually more vulnerable than Air Force One and that it would have been the most likely target in case of an attack. The president also said he routinely receives many threats and did not ask for detailed information about this specific one. At the time of publication, neither the White House, nor the Pentagon, nor the Secret Service unit that managed the operation had released official statements.

The episode fits into the broader context of tensions between the United States and Iran. Trump claimed that without military operations Iran would now have a nuclear weapon, a statement that cannot be independently verified. According to Editoriale Domani, the president described negotiations with Tehran as informal and finds himself in a difficult political position, with midterm elections approaching. The same article suggests that Iran is aware of this stalemate, an assessment that reflects the outlet's analysis rather than established facts.

Reports of a military raid on Haddatha in southern Iran, circulated by some media, have not been confirmed by official sources and remain unverified.