Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has urged Bulgaria to reconsider its decision to allow the temporary deployment of US military aircraft at the Bezmer air base, Reuters reports citing Iranian state media.

During a phone call with his Bulgarian counterpart, Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Araghchi stresses that Sofia’s approval of a US request to station military aircraft at the base to support military operations amounts to facilitating aggression against Iran, adding that the move is unacceptable and contrary to the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries.

Iran has repeatedly warned countries allowing their territory to be used for US military operations against it that they could “face consequences”.

Bulgaria’s parliament last week approved the temporary deployment of up to eight US KC-135 tanker aircraft and up to 250 personnel at Bezmer air base despite Iranian objections. Sofia has said no offensive weapons would be deployed and that the move did not make Bulgaria a party to military operations.