NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump was reportedly moved out of Turkey in a highly secretive security operation after intelligence indicated a credible Iranian threat against him, according to reports by The Washington Post and The New York Times.

The extraordinary operation took place after Trump attended a NATO summit in Ankara last month. Trump was publicly seen boarding an older version of Air Force One, which was used as a decoy aircraft. Shortly afterwards, he was reportedly transferred to a smaller US Air Force C-32A military jet using an airport catering truck.

The move was designed to conceal Trump's actual whereabouts from potential attackers. Journalists and some White House personnel were reportedly led to believe that the president was travelling aboard the larger aircraft. Reporters on the decoy plane were instructed to keep their window shades closed during takeoff.

The C-32A reportedly flew Trump to Britain, arriving shortly before the decoy Air Force One. Trump later reunited with his official entourage and appeared to have travelled with them, maintaining the deception.

The operation highlights the heightened security concerns surrounding Trump amid escalating tensions with Iran. US officials have reportedly treated the threat against the president as credible, prompting extraordinary measures to conceal his movements.

The incident has also renewed questions about the security of the newer aircraft donated by Qatar, which Trump had used to travel to Turkey. US officials have defended the security precautions taken to protect the president.