2 US military refueling aircraft depart Bulgaria amid anger from Iran over deployment

Two U.S. military refueling aircraft departed Bulgaria last week amid Iran’s anger over the planes’ deployment to Bezmer Air Base.

Two Air Force KC-135 planes left the air base located in the southeast of Bulgaria on Friday, and the flights they conducted were for training purposes during their deployment, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters on Saturday, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

The U.S. Air Force confirmed the Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, air-to-air refueling tankers, departed Bulgaria to support “other operational requirements.”

“U.S. military aircraft routinely transit and are hosted by Allied and partner nations, including in Bulgaria, in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill on Monday.

“We are grateful for Bulgaria’s support in regional security and we look forward to our continued partnership, remaining always vigilant in our collective defense,” spokesperson said.

The U.S. asked Bulgaria for temporary deployment of the refueling planes, a request that Iran sharply criticized, stating the Balkan nation would be complicit in “aggression and war crimes.”

Last month, Bulgaria’s Parliament approved the deployment of U.S. aircraft and military personnel to Bezmer Air Base in support of the U.S.’s Operation Epic Fury.

The deployment, which was approved on July 22, would have lasted from July 24 until the end of September.

Bezmer Air Base, which is located about 150 miles southwest of Sofia, is a joint-use facility, meaning whenever the U.S. needs to use it for a new purpose, it needs approval from the Bulgarian Parliament.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in late May that the country would cut the stay of U.S. military aircraft at Sofia’s airport, Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, at the end of June after the Trump administration did not allow a visa-free pass for Bulgarian visitors to the U.S.