Two US tanker aircraft leave Bulgaria a month after deployment upset Iran

Two U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft have left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base, according to the country's defense minister. Their departure comes nearly a month after their temporary deployment in the Balkan nation, which had drawn criticism from Iran. The United States had requested the deployment under an agreement governing joint military facility use, amid its ongoing conflict with Iran.

Iran had previously stated that the aircraft's presence constituted complicity in "aggression and war crimes," a charge that Sofia dismissed. The deployment, approved by Bulgaria's parliament on July 22, also sparked protests from nearby residents who feared the planes could become targets for Iranian missile and drone attacks. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters that all flights conducted by the aircraft during their stay were training missions over allied countries. He added that Bulgaria had "no information about direct threats to our national security" and that decisions were made in full coordination with the U.S. government.

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We are working in full coordination with the US government and had prior information, which is why all our decisions were well-founded.