Iran has issued another warning to Bulgaria after the Balkan country allowed the United States to use its military bases, further escalating diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Sofia.
In a statement posted on social media, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that “those making decisions in Bulgaria must bear responsibility for the dangerous decision to host a U.S. aerial refueling aircraft at their military bases.”
The statement added that Tehran does not view the deployment as an isolated incident, claiming similar decisions had previously been made to “support U.S. military operations against Iran.”
“The Bulgarian people know very well that the Iranian people have never had any problems with Bulgaria. For decades, relations between our two nations have been based on mutual respect,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
The latest remarks mark the third warning issued by Iran to Bulgaria regarding the presence of U.S. military aircraft on Bulgarian territory.
The statement comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly thanked Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in a post on Truth Social.
“Thank you, President Radev! Bulgaria stands with Trump and supports the deployment of a U.S. air base despite Iran’s threats,” Trump wrote.
The exchange reflects growing tensions surrounding U.S. military deployments in the region, with Bulgaria’s cooperation with Washington drawing increasingly sharp criticism from Tehran.
