Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced the departure of several U.S. refueling aircraft from Bulgaria while responding to U.S. policies by stating that the Islamic Republic has historically been a chess player, has learned to play poker, and is now playing a “hybrid” combination of both.
On Monday, August 24, when asked about reports concerning the potential targeting of U.S. bases in European countries should the war resume, as well as the departure of U.S. refueling planes from Bulgaria, Baghaei remarked: “We have also heard that several KC-135 refueling aircraft have departed Bulgaria.”
He characterized the presence of these aircraft in Bulgaria as a violation of international law, adding that the Islamic Republic has no issue with the Bulgarian people, but that the utilization of the country’s facilities was viewed “as a form of support for the military aggression of the U.S. and the Zionist regime against Iran.”
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson further emphasized that nations granting the U.S. and Israel access to their bases and infrastructure should not expect immunity from Iran’s response.
“It is Iran’s right to target the origin and source of any aggressive action against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stated, asserting that Tehran will show “no leniency” in defending the country.
