Iran protests US aircraft in Bulgaria, signals potential retaliation
Photo: Iranian flag (Getty Images)
Bulgaria has confirmed that it received a protest note from Iran over US aircraft on its territory. Tehran stated that it reserves the right to take “all necessary measures,” according to Reuters.
According to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iranian side expressed its protest last month over the presence of US refueling aircraft at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport.
Earlier, Bulgarian MP Stanislav Balabanov published a note dated March 18, in which the Iranian government warned that it “reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security and national interests in accordance with international law.”
Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Marin Raykov later confirmed the document's existence. According to him, Bulgaria is not at war, and combat aircraft are not flying over its territory for operations against Iran.
“No combat aircraft are being loaded over Bulgaria to participate in military operations,” Raykov said.
He also emphasized that Sofia maintains continuous diplomatic relations with Tehran.
At the end of February, Bulgarian media reported that several US military aircraft had landed at Sofia’s civilian airport. Authorities explained this as a forward NATO deployment, and Raykov effectively confirmed this version on Wednesday.
He also stressed that the Bulgarian parliament has not made any decision to support military action in the Strait of Hormuz.
Split among US allies
Amid the war with Iran, some European allies have begun distancing themselves from US operations. In particular, Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the country would not allow US aircraft to use its airspace for operations against Iran.
Earlier, Madrid had already refused Washington permission to use joint bases, forcing the US to relocate at least 12 refueling aircraft. In response, US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to all relations with Spain.
In addition, according to media reports, Italy secretly denied US bombers permission to land at the Sigonella base.
France, for its part, did not allow aircraft carrying military cargo bound for Israel to fly over its territory. After that, Trump said Paris had acted “very unhelpfully” in the situation involving the elimination of the “Iranian butcher,” adding that the US would “remember this.”
