Two US tanker aircraft leave Bulgaria a month after deployment upset Iran
Two U.S. tanker aircraft have left Bulgaria’s Bezmer air base, Bulgaria’s defense minister said on Saturday, nearly a month after their deployment in the Balkan country angered Iran.
The United States, which has been at war with Iran since Feb. 28, requested their temporary deployment under an agreement governing the joint use of military facilities.
Iran said at the time that their deployment would constitute complicity in “aggression and war crimes”, a charge that Sofia dismissed.
The two U.S. Air Force KC-135 planes left Bulgaria on Friday, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters.
The U.S. authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
The deployment of the aircraft, approved by Bulgaria’s parliament on July 22, led to protests by nearby residents who feared the planes would be attacked by Iranian missiles and drones.
Stoyanov said all the aircraft’s flights during their temporary deployment had been training missions over allied countries and that Bulgaria had “no information about direct threats to our national security.”
“We are working in full coordination with the U.S. government and had prior information, which is why all our decisions were well-founded,” he said.
Two U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft departed from Bezmer Air Base in Bulgaria on Friday, nearly a month after their deployment, which had angered Iran. The deployment was approved by Bulgaria's parliament and involved training missions over allied countries. Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov stated that there were no direct threats to national security during the aircraft's stay.
- Two U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base.
- Their deployment angered Iran and led to protests in Bulgaria.
- The deployment was approved by Bulgaria's parliament on July 22.
- All flights during deployment were training missions over allied countries.
- Bulgaria reported no direct threats to its national security.