Trump orders special forces to Europe as US 'prepares new attack on Iran'

 The US is deploying special forces troops to Europe, as fears of further American military operations grow after the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela by Delta Force troops. Flight tracking data shows an increase in US military flights arriving at RAF Fairford and RAF Mildenhall.

Aircraft arriving at the two airfields included C-17 Globemaster III transport planes, as well as two AC-130 gunships. Most of the flights originated from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. The C-17s were believed to be transporting US Army rotary-wing assets, although no MH-47 Chinook helicopters were directly observed at RAF Fairford.

Experts say that the planes, combined with departure locations and routing patterns, are consistent with the movement of special operations aviation units.

Open-source imagery and flight data suggest the likely involvement of assets associated with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, according to the UK Defence Journal.

Units from this formation include elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 101st Airborne Division, and 160th SOAR.

These forces are routinely tasked with rapid-response and high-risk missions, such as the capture or rendition of high-value individuals.

Notably, similar increases in C-17 activity at RAF Fairford were observed in the run-up to US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Iran has been rocked by mass anti-regime protests since the end of December, with thousands taking to the streets to voice their anger. The new protests were sparked by a currency collapse and spiralling inflation, and have become the most widespread domestic unrest since 2022.

Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the US may intervene if authorities start killing demonstrators.

In a post to his Truth Social website on Friday, he wrote: "If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."

The eldest son of Iran's former ruler, the Shah, said the protests had developed into a direct challenge to the country's clerical leadership.

Reza Pahlavi said in a statement that the protests featured "heavy usage of anti-regime slogans including 'Death to the dictator,' 'Long live the Shah,' and 'This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return.'"