Bulgaria authorises US KC‑135 tankers at Bezmer, Iran issues warning

Bezmer air base US KC‑135 tankers Iran warning Bulgaria Cyprus UK assurances

Bulgaria’s parliament approved a temporary deployment of up to eight U.S. KC‑135 aerial‑refuelling aircraft and up to 250 U.S. personnel at the Bezmer air base, scheduled from late July to early October 2026. The government says no offensive weapons will be stationed and that the deployment does not make Bulgaria a party to the conflict.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned Sofia to reconsider the decision, calling the use of Bulgarian territory by U.S. aircraft “facilitation of aggression” and citing Article 3 of UN General‑Assembly Resolution 3314. He added that Iran will not hesitate to defend its national interests and that any state participating in attacks against Iran must bear responsibility for the consequences.

Bulgarian foreign minister Velislava Petrova emphasised that the U.S. aircraft will be used solely for logistical refuelling missions, not for combat, and that Bulgaria will not host direct military actions. In a separate dialogue, Cyprus secured assurances from the United Kingdom that foreign bases on its territory will not be used for hostile actions against Iran.

Entities: Abbas Araghchi · Abbas Araqchi · Bezmer Air Base · Bulgaria · Constantinos Kombos · Cyprus · Iran · Iran · Islamic Republic of Iran · KC‑135 tanker aircraft · KC‑135 tanker aircraft · Republic of Bulgaria

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 20 SOURCES] Bulgaria’s parliament approved the temporary deployment of up to eight US KC‑135 tanker aircraft and up to 250 US personnel at Bezmer air base. (temporary deployment of up to eight KC‑135 tankers and 250 US personnel at Bezmer, scheduled late July–early October 202)
[● 17 SOURCES] Bulgaria said no offensive weapons will be deployed at Bezmer and the deployment does not make Bulgaria a party to the conflict. (no offensive weapons will be placed; deployment does not make Bulgaria a party to the conflict)
[● 17 SOURCES] Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi urged Bulgaria to reconsider allowing US aircraft at Bezmer, calling it facilitation of aggression. (Iran urged Bulgaria to reconsider allowing US aircraft, calling it facilitation of aggression)
[● 4 SOURCES] British sovereign bases in Cyprus have been used by the US for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites. (British bases in Cyprus were employed for US defensive strikes on Iranian targets during the conflict.)
[● 18 SOURCES] Iran warned that any party allowing US operations against it could face consequences. (Iran)
[● 14 SOURCES] Iran urged Cyprus to prevent foreign military bases there from being used for hostile actions against Iran. (Iranian foreign minister)
[● 17 SOURCES] Iran pledged it would not hesitate to defend its national interests against any aggression. (Iran says it will not hesitate to defend its national interests against aggression)
[● 16 SOURCES] Cyprus secured assurances from the United Kingdom that foreign bases on its territory will not be used for hostile actions against Iran. (Cyprus obtained UK assurances that its foreign bases will not be used against Iran)
[● 17 SOURCES] Iran cited Article 3 of UN General‑Assembly Resolution 3314, defining aggression, in its warning to Bulgaria. (Iran)
[● 7 SOURCES] Bulgaria’s foreign minister Velislava Petrova said the US aircraft are intended solely for logistical refuelling missions and will not conduct combat operations. (Bulgarian FM says US aircraft are only for logistical refuelling, no combat)
[● 7 SOURCES] Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned Bulgaria to reconsider allowing US KC‑135 tanker aircraft at Bezmer, calling it facilitation of aggression against Iran.
[● 4 SOURCES] The temporary deployment of US KC‑135 aircraft at Bezmer is scheduled from late July to early October 2026. (Bulgaria)