Iran's state media mocks Trump over plane switch, meme shows him hiding in catering box

Iranian state media has ridiculed US President Donald Trump after reports revealed that he was secretly moved from Air Force One to a smaller government aircraft during his visit to Turkey last month, portraying the extraordinary security operation as evidence of Tehran’s military strength.

The reported plane switch took place after US authorities received a credible and imminent threat that Trump’s presidential aircraft could be targeted by a shoulder-fired missile, according to a person briefed on the operation.

Iranian state television seized on the reports, suggesting that the security measures reflected Trump’s concerns over Iran’s capabilities.

“Again, Trump, with his new scandal, has become the top subject in the US media these days. A scandal stemming from fear of Iran’s military power, a power that caused Trump, last month, while returning from Turkey, to secretly switch his plane,” Reuters quoted a state television presenter as saying.

The presenter added that the episode had become a source of “humiliation” for Trump.

The threat reportedly emerged on the final day of Trump’s visit to Ankara for the Nato summit, at a time when tensions remain high amid the ongoing US war on Iran.

The US Secret Service reportedly determined that the threat was credible and imminent and launched an unusual operation to conceal Trump’s movements and protect him while leaving Turkey.

The New York Times reported that US officials were particularly alarmed after learning that Iranian operatives knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the exact floor of his hotel.

Neither Tehran nor the White House had officially commented on the allegations or the reported aircraft switch at the time.

Trump moved to unmarked jet

According to details reported by US media, Trump and a small group of aides were moved through a catering truck from the presidential aircraft to a smaller and largely nondescript C-32A government jet for the flight out of Turkey on July 8.

Air Force One subsequently departed separately, carrying senior administration officials, White House staff and members of the travelling press corps.

The operation was first reported by The Washington Post and has since drawn attention in Iran, where state media and officials have used the episode to mock the US president.

Iran’s embassy in South Africa also joined the criticism, posting on X that Trump “will be hidden in a trash can before long”.

... was accompanied by a meme depicting Trump inside a catering box filled with food. The embassy’s X account, which is listed on the official website of the Iranian embassy, is known for sharing memes that are frequently picked up by Iranian state media.

Iran invokes past Trump security concerns

The reported plane switch comes against the backdrop of long-standing tensions between Trump and Tehran, including previous allegations of Iranian plots against the US president.

In 2024, the US Justice Department charged an Iranian man over an alleged plot to assassinate Trump, who was then the US president-elect. US authorities said the alleged operation had been ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Tehran denied the accusations in September 2024.

Ali Vaez, deputy programme director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, said the latest reports were likely to be welcomed by Iranian hardliners.

“Iranian hardliners, who have been talking about taking revenge for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader on February 28, as well as some other senior political and military officials in Iran are basking in the fact that the United States was so afraid and concerned about President Trump’s safety and security,” Vaez said.

The episode comes as Iran and the US remain locked in a dispute over efforts to secure a permanent end to the war in the Gulf. A senior Iranian source said there had been no progress in efforts to revive an interim agreement reached in June.

Iranian media recalls Trump’s Iraq visit

Iranian commentators have also drawn comparisons with Trump’s previous experience of travelling under heightened security in the region.

During a podcast broadcast by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, commentator Alireza Majidi recalled Trump’s 2018 visit to the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq, a country where Iran has influence through allied armed groups.

Trump himself had previously described the extraordinary precautions taken during that trip.

“If you had seen what we had to go through with the darkened plane, with all windows closed, with no lights on whatsoever anywhere. Pitch black. I have never seen anything like it,” CNN quoted Trump as telling reporters at the Iraqi base.

The latest reports have provided Iranian state media with fresh material to portray Trump as vulnerable to threats from Tehran, even as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.

With inputs from agencies