A New York Times report reveals that Iranian officials had precise information about where the U.S. president was staying during the NATO summit, including the floor of the building, prompting an unusual deception operation.
Iran had the exact location of U.S. President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara, including the floor of the building where he was staying, The New York Times reported, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the threat. The information was deemed so serious that Trump and senior officials in his administration carried out an unusual deception operation to get him out of Turkey, according to the Hindustan Times.
According to the report, U.S. intelligence agencies received information through multiple channels indicating a specific threat of a surface-to-air missile aimed at Air Force One, or any aircraft carrying the president. The intelligence also showed that a person near the NATO summit was seen with a portable rocket launcher.
On July 8, 2026, Trump first boarded an older Air Force One in front of cameras, then quietly slipped away inside an aircraft supply container and left the country on a military aircraft. Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that concerns about a possible attack on Air Force One with a portable rocket launcher led the Secret Service to secretly transfer Trump to a smaller government plane.
Trump and several aides used a supply truck to move unnoticed from the large blue-and-white presidential aircraft to a smaller, unmarked C-32A jet when leaving Turkey. Air Force One then took off separately, carrying senior administration officials, White House staff, and members of the traveling press corps.
Trump confirmed to reporters on Tuesday after an event in Ohio that the Secret Service, responsible for protecting the president, ordered the aircraft swap. "They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane," Trump said, adding that he had little influence over the decision.
"I guess there was a threat. I didn't ask too many questions about it. I get a lot of threats," he stated. He traveled from Ankara to a refueling stop in Britain without any incidents.
Trump also shared his own risk assessment with Reuters: "I think actually the plane I was on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because I think they would have been more likely to target it."
Meanwhile, allies met on August 12, 2026, in the North Atlantic Council to discuss recent drone incidents and airspace violations in Poland and Romania. They expressed support for the affected allies and reiterated that Russia bears full responsibility for the violations, NATO said on its X profile.
On the same day, Portugal completed its air policing mission in Estonia. Portuguese F-16 fighter jets participated in NATO's enhanced vigilance activity Eastern Sentry, supporting the alliance's air defense and contributing to the security of the Baltic region.
