Iran Warns Bulgaria Against Aiding US Military Operations After Move to Station US Aircraft

US Air Force tanker aircraft are lined up at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US Air Force tanker aircraft are lined up at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran Warns Bulgaria Against Aiding US Military Operations After Move to Station US Aircraft

US Air Force tanker aircraft are lined up at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US Air Force tanker aircraft are lined up at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman warned Bulgaria on Tuesday against allowing the US to use its territory for military operations against Iran.

The Bulgarian government has said it will seek parliamentary approval to station up to eight US tanker ‌aircraft at ‌an air base in ‌the ⁠Balkan country, which ⁠is a member of NATO and the European Union.

Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said any activity that facilitates US attacks on Iran would ⁠amount to complicity in what ‌he ‌described as "aggression and war crimes", according ‌to Iranian state media.

Baghaei urged ‌Bulgaria not to become "an accomplice of aggressors and lawbreakers", they said.

The tanker aircraft are mainly ‌used for airborne refueling of other aircraft.

Bulgaria's government aims ⁠to ⁠station the US aircraft at the Bezmer military facility, about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia.

The US and Iran have intensified strikes since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago unraveled, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war.