US Air Force removes KC-135 tankers from Bulgaria

The Air Force pulled two KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes from Bulgaria, ending a brief deployment that drew sharp criticism and warnings from Iran.

The tankers left the Balkan nation to support other operational requirements, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa said over the weekend. A defense official confirmed to Stars and Stripes on Monday that two tankers had departed.

The Bulgarian parliament passed a resolution on July 22 allowing up to eight U.S. KC-135s and 250 personnel to be stationed at Bezmer Air Base, in the southeastern part of the country.

“We are grateful for Bulgaria’s support in regional security, and we look forward to our continued partnership, remaining always vigilant in our collective defense,” a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa statement Saturday said.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the tankers left the country on Friday, the Bulgarian News Agency reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Sofia had requested the deployment to support U.S. operations in the Middle East from July 24 to Oct. 1, the news service reported at the time. The first two aircraft arrived July 31.

Iran said it considered the move an act of aggression under international law and signaled earlier this month that American military installations in Europe, including Bulgaria, could be in its crosshairs if the United States escalates the nearly six-month-old war.

Stoyanov said the tankers, while deployed to Bulgaria, only participated in training missions in allied airspace to the west and northwest, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

U.S. airmen conduct a preflight brief in front of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 15, 2026. The deployment of two KC-135 tankers to Bulgaria’s Bezmer Air Base meant to support U.S. operations in the Middle East ended Aug. 21 when the refueling planes left the country, Bulgarian officials said. (Gracelyn Hess/U.S. Air Force)

The tankers’ departure comes amid U.S. threats to ratchet up economic sanctions on Iran to force an end to the war.

The U.S. will unveil “the single greatest financial offensive ever” against Iran on Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X.

“At dawn begins an economic D-Day,” Bessent said, describing sanctions aimed at severing “every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would impose tougher economic measures on Iran and any country that helps or does business with it.

It is not clear how far Trump intends to go in targeting countries, such as China and Russia, that maintain crucial trade links with Iran.

A 60-day ceasefire window for the U.S. and Iran to reach a deal ended a week ago Monday as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that Tehran will not allow the war to end on “the terms of the aggressor,” the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Addressing the removal of American refueling planes from Bulgaria, Baghaei said “we hope that other countries that have in some way made their bases and facilities available to the United States … will also take necessary action.”