White House said president aboard Air Force One while he flew on alternate military aircraft, says Washington Post
US President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, March 23, 2026. REUTERS
US President Donald Trump secretly departed Türkiye on a military aircraft last month amid an alleged Iranian assassination threat against him while the White House publicly said he was aboard Air Force One, US media reported Monday, citing a US official and other sources familiar with the operation.
According to The Washington Post, Trump boarded the older Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras in Ankara before being quietly transferred minutes later to a smaller Air Force C-32A using an airport catering truck.
The report described the maneuver as designed to conceal his location from the public, journalists and some White House staff members.
The operation came a night after US forces renewed strikes on Iran following a breakdown in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Trump visited Ankara for a NATO summit on July 7-8 with world leaders when the alleged threat emerged.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the measures, saying the Qatari-gifted aircraft, which is now used as Air Force One, has been “fitted with high-level security protocols” to ensure the president’s safety.
“As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” he added.
Oil prices jump 5% as Trump keeps Iran escalation option open
Oil prices jumped around 5% on Monday after US President Donald Trump said a “massive escalation” against Iran remained an option, deepening uncertainty over negotiations to end the conflict and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
International benchmark Brent crude rose 5% to $87.7 per barrel as of 2005GMT, its highest level in nearly two weeks, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 5.1% to $82.2.
Read: Trump demands compensation from Iran for alleged atrocities of past 50 years
Brent extended its gains for a fourth consecutive trading session as markets assessed the prospects of further military action and continued disruption to energy shipments through the strategic waterway.
Asked whether a major escalation against Iran remained under consideration, Trump said Washington could pursue that option.
“Well, we have that certain ability if we want to do that,” he told reporters at the White House.
Trump also said Iran should pay compensation for damage caused over the past 50 years, rejecting Tehran’s demands for war compensation in negotiations.
While Trump claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was open and “100%” controlled by the US, he acknowledged that Iran could still attempt to disrupt maritime traffic.
Tehran has said Washington must lift its blockade before Iran agrees to fully reopen the waterway, through which a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passes.
Prices were also supported by reports of attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Jazan refinery and a tanker operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. over the weekend.
Meanwhile, crude stocks in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell below 300 million barrels to about 298.7 million last week, their lowest level since 1983.
US continues withdrawing tanker aircraft from Israel’s Ben Gurion airport: Israeli media
The number of US aerial refuelling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel has declined, nearing levels seen during a previous ceasefire, Israeli Channel 12 reported on Monday.
“The Americans continue to reduce the number of refuelling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport” near Tel Aviv, the broadcaster said.
The number of tanker aircraft had “already approached” levels seen during the ceasefire, when about 20 such aircraft were stationed at the airport, it added.
The channel did not provide the number of aircraft at the height of tensions.
The report comes as reports have circulated in recent days that the US and Iran could be nearing an agreement on outstanding issues, particularly navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies and trade.
US aircraft have been stopping at Ben Gurion for aerial refuelling since the US-Israeli war on Iran began February 28.
Channel 12 reported Sunday that the US Air Force “had begun withdrawing some of its refuelling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion Airport amid security developments.”
The move came after Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev pressed security officials to remove the tanker aircraft to maintain normal airport operations during peak travel days, the channel added.
According to the channel, more than 2.6 million passengers are expected to pass through the airport in August, averaging about 100,000 passengers a day, making it the busiest month since October 7, 2023, as August is a popular vacation period for Israelis.
There was no immediate comment from Washington or Tel Aviv on the report.
Israel has previously debated the impact of US tanker aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion on civilian flight operations.
On July 14, Israel barred additional US aerial refuelling aircraft from landing at Ben Gurion after their number reached 33. Regev said the aircraft were occupying spaces needed for civilian planes.
The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, objected to the decision the same day. Israel reversed the decision on July 15 following US protests.
Trump demands compensation from Iran for alleged atrocities of past 50 years
President Donald Trump on Monday declined to say what would come next in talks with Iran, but indicated that the US retains the ability to pursue a major military escalation.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “You’ll find out, when asked what would follow the latest round of negotiations, which he had previously described as Iran’s “last chance” before possible military action.
Read more: Trump says US taking ‘low-key’ approach to Iran, stresses Tehran’s economic pain
Asked whether a “massive escalation” remained on the table, Trump said the US can pursue such an option if he chooses to do so.
“Well, we have that certain ability if we want to do that,” Trump said. “Yeah, you’ll find out.”
The president said the US is going to ask for money for the damage Iran has done over 50 years.
“If there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages,” he added.
‘We’ve mine swept the entire strait’
Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the strategic waterway is “open.”
“Well, it’s open now … The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that’s been infallible. It’s a steel wall, and we let people in that we want to let in, and those people come in, and they’ve been coming in and they’re going out, so it’s actually open now. We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the strait to go to Iran, but it’s open for others now,” Trump said.
He acknowledged that Iran could still attempt to disrupt shipping, saying Iranian forces could “on occasion, drop a mine,” but claimed US forces have located and cleared mines throughout the strait.
“You know, we’ve mine swept the entire strait, as you probably maybe heard, maybe you didn’t hear. But we control the strait 100%. Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke. They have no money,” Trump said.
Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as Trump demands Iranian reparations
US President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s proposal, which had not been raised before, was a response to Tehran’s demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. The Iranian demands were largely in line with the terms of a preliminary peace deal signed in June, which has since broken down.
Also read: Iran says framework agreed with Oman on Strait of Hormuz
Since the war began in February, Trump has repeatedly oscillated between threats of escalation and claims that a peace deal is imminent.
“We’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” Trump said at the White House, saying payments would cover deaths among both civilian demonstrators and US forces in the region.
“So if there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages,” Trump said.
Trump cites attack blamed on Al Qaeda, not Iran
Referring to Tehran’s crackdown on foreign-funded and incited protests in late 2025 and 2026, Trump claimed with no evidence that Iran had killed some 52,000 protesters as of six weeks ago. While some Iranian opposition and exile groups have echoed the claims of tens of thousands killed, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in February claimed around 7,000 deaths including 6,500 protesters.
Trump encouraged protesters to overthrow the Iranian government when the war began with US and Israeli airstrikes on civilian targets in February.
Trump also said Iran should compensate families of the 17 US sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on the naval vessel USS Cole, which has been blamed on al Qaeda, not Iran.
“Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Iran earlier said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the US must meet conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats before the key waterway is reopened.
The strait, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed prior to the conflict, has been effectively blocked since the war began, pushing up oil prices and inflation.
Trump under pressure
Ironically, the agreement with Oman would give Tehran more leverage over the key waterway than it had before the war began.
Trump is under pressure to end a war that is deeply unpopular at home ahead of midterm elections in November, and high fuel prices are a top issue in rural areas that have backed him in the past.
“What you’re seeing here is the beginning of a capitulation,” Democratic US Representative Bill Keating said on CNN. “This is reality. It’s sinking in.”
Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman were “progressing smoothly and constructively”, with an agreement reached on a shipping route map, while some technical issues remained unresolved.
Baghaei said the discussions also covered services which would normally involve payment, such as safe navigation, environmental protection, maritime services and combating crime.
US officials have repeatedly ruled out any deal that would allow Tehran to charge fees for access to the strait.
But months of US military efforts, including a two-week campaign of strikes in July, have not broken Iran’s grip on the strait, despite Trump’s misleading claim, repeated on Monday, that the strait was open and, “The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy.”
Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in June, but the US reimposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in July, a move that Tehran said violated the truce.
Iran has been striking back with missiles and drones against Washington’s allies in the region, while also targeting commercial ships transiting the strait without its permission.
