Two US tanker aircraft leave Bulgaria a month after deployment upset Iran

Two U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tanker aircraft have departed Bulgaria approximately one month after their deployment, which had drawn a diplomatic protest from Iran. The tankers were positioned at a Bulgarian airbase during a period of heightened regional tension. Their departure follows the completion of a defined rotational deployment cycle. The episode illustrates how U.S. tanker positioning in Eastern Europe directly affects Iranian threat perceptions and regional escalation dynamics.