Trump hid in catering truck in secret plane swap over Iran threat, reports say

Donald Trump secretly swapped planes during his departure from a NATO summit in Turkey, as a covert response to a potential Iranian threat, according to US media reports. The president initially boarded Air Force One in front of cameras, but was subsequently moved to a military aircraft via a catering truck, which had been elevated to plane level.

Journalists and some White House staff were unaware of the secret switch, as they were instructed to keep their window shades closed. The new aircraft used the call sign "Reach 18," while the press plane continued to use "AF1" call sign. The White House has not confirmed the covert maneuver, but it came a day after the US conducted military strikes on Iran following the failure of negotiations aimed at ending the war.

The president had earlier declared Iran as his "number one target" during the summit in Ankara. Trump spoke about the threats posed by Iran during a later flight to the UK, but did not mention the plane swap.