WASHINGTON (TNND) — Twelve U.S. B-1 bombers were pulled out of RAF Fairford in England, a move that comes just days after a suspected terror plot put the base in the spotlight.

Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the removal of the bombers was done out of an abundance of caution.

British officials have linked the alleged plot to Tehran, but Iran has denied involvement.

RAF Fairford, about 100 miles west of London, has been a key base for U.S. bombers operating in the Middle East, including during the current war with Iran. Iran previously warned that bases used to launch attacks on Iranian territory could be considered legitimate targets.

Vance appeared to confirm the apparent tie to Iran.

“We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are there trying to do what the Iranians have done for 49 years, which is engage in acts of terrorism,” Vance told reporters Monday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Monday that the bomber redeployment should not be assumed to be directly connected to the recent incident at RAF Fairford.

“The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be. There’s regular rotations that happen as well,” Rubio said.

U.S. European Command confirmed the planes returned to their home stations in the United States, but would not discuss specific threat information.

The B-1 is a long-range bomber that can carry guided and unguided weapons, and basing the aircraft in the United Kingdom puts them closer to potential targets than if they were flying from the United States.

Retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton said prepositioning aircraft in places like the United Kingdom can shorten response times.

“One of the things that we do is to preposition these aircraft in locations like the United Kingdom so that they get to their target area at a quicker time than they would if they had to come from the United States itself,” Leighton said.

The Pentagon said the bomber force remains ready to carry out global strike missions from the United States — “anywhere, anytime.”

Rubio said the U.S. remains confident in the security of RAF Fairford and its other bases.

“All of our bases theoretically could be threatened at any moment, and that’s why there’s so much security built around them,” he said.