Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, has formally asked Bulgaria to withdraw its authorization for a temporary U.S. military aircraft presence at the Bezmer air base, Iranian state media reported. Araqchi told Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova in a telephone conversation that Sofia's consent to station U.S. aircraft in support of military operations equates to facilitating aggression against Iran.
In the call, Araqchi characterized Bulgaria's decision as unacceptable and said it ran counter to the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries. The Iranian minister reiterated a warning Tehran has issued repeatedly to governments that allow their territory to be used for U.S. military operations against Iran: those countries could "face consequences."
Separately, Araqchi phoned Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. In that discussion, he emphasized the importance of preventing foreign military bases on Cyprus from being used against Iran.
The diplomatic protests follow a vote in Bulgaria's parliament last week that approved the temporary deployment of up to eight U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft and a contingent of up to 250 personnel at the Bezmer air base, despite objections from Iran. Sofia has stated that no offensive weapons will be deployed as part of the arrangement and that the decision does not make Bulgaria a party to military operations.
Cyprus hosts two British sovereign military bases, including RAF Akrotiri. RAF Akrotiri was struck by an Iranian drone in early March, an incident that occurred days after strikes by Israel and the U.S. on Iran. According to the reporting, Britain agreed early in the conflict to a U.S. request to use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers.
That arrangement was maintained by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in July. Iran's Revolutionary Guards subsequently warned Britain against facilitating U.S. military operations against Iran.
The phone calls from Araqchi underline Tehran's diplomatic push to prevent third-party territory from being used to support operations it regards as hostile. Bulgaria's parliamentary approval for the KC-135 deployment and the continued arrangements involving British bases in Cyprus have drawn direct objections from Iran, reinforcing tensions over the regional use of foreign military facilities.