U.S. detects Iranian threat, Trump switches Air Force One in Turkey

U.S. officials detected a credible threat against President Trump's plane at a NATO summit in Turkey in July 2026. Intelligence showed that Iranian proxy forces had planned to fire a missile at Air Force One. Because of this threat, Trump switched from a newer aircraft to an older backup plane before departing. The newer plane had recently been a gift from Qatar. Trump said publicly that he made the switch "for old time's sake," not for security reasons. However, officials confirmed the change was a security decision. The proxies wanted to target the president personally, not the specific plane. A separate Israeli warning about an assassination plot also existed, but the Iranian threat was identified independently by U.S. intelligence.