Trump left Turkey on smaller jet over Iran threat: Post

US President Donald Trump secretly left Turkey last month on a smaller aircraft because of an assassination threat from Iran, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing an anonymous US official.

The official told the Post that Trump boarded an Air Force One jet in Ankara on July 8, then moved into a catering container attached to the plane. The container then took him to a smaller C-32A aircraft that flew him to Britain, while journalists and some officials were led to believe he remained on the larger jet, the Post reported.

US media had previously reported that security concerns linked to Iranian proxy forces led Trump not to leave Turkey on a new Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, which he had used to arrive for a NATO summit. Trump said at the time that he was taking the older Boeing 747 so US military personnel at an airbase in Britain could tour the new plane.

The plane swap drew renewed scrutiny of the Qatar-gifted jet. The New York Times reported that the aircraft did not have the same security features as the older jet, including anti-missile defences.

Asked by AFP about the Washington Post report, the White House sent a statement from Communications Director Steven Cheung defending the new plane's safety. Cheung said the aircraft had been fitted with "high-level security protocols" and that officials used "every tool" available to address threats.

The Post said video showed a catering truck lowering from the older Air Force One minutes after Trump boarded, then moving toward the smaller C-32A. It said Trump was later filmed descending from the larger jet after both aircraft landed in the United Kingdom, and it was unclear how he had transferred back.