NATO Chief Reveals Support for US During War, Iran Furious
The Iranian government has reacted furiously, accusing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of being ‘involved’ in the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. The accusation follows revelations by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding the support member states provided to the US during the conflict.
Responding to criticism from President Donald Trump, who claimed allies were not supportive enough, Rutte told Fox News that hundreds of American military aircraft were deployed from bases in Italy. The NATO chief also disclosed that Romania had to reduce commercial air traffic to make way for tanker aircraft during the height of the Iran war.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, as reported by AFP on Thursday, condemned Rutte’s statement, calling it an admission of NATO’s ‘active involvement’ in an ‘illegal war’ waged by the US and Israel. ‘This is a clear and incriminating admission of NATO’s active involvement in a war of aggression against a sovereign UN member state,’ Baghaei said in a statement on social media platform X. He accused NATO of committing ‘flagrant violations of the peremptory norms of international law and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter’.
Trump’s second term has been marked by tensions with NATO allies, who have voiced doubts about the necessity of the Middle Eastern conflict. In the Fox News interview, Rutte revealed that US military bases in Europe, including those in Italy and Romania, served as launch points for American aircraft during the war. ‘One by one, countries, one by one, allies, have provided their bases,’ Rutte said in the interview on Wednesday local time. ‘That means about 4,000 to 5,000 aircraft took off from European bases to support Epic Fury,’ he added, referring to the US military operation against Iran named ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
The United States operates a network of military facilities across Europe, including naval bases, airbases, and troop garrisons. During a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Trump told Rutte he was ‘disappointed’ by NATO members who did not support his war against Iran.
Italy quickly distanced itself from Rutte’s characterisation, with its Defence Ministry accusing the NATO chief of delivering a ‘highly misleading message by mixing up the types of flights that were authorised’. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stressed that Rome only permitted ‘technical and logistical activities of a non-kinetic nature’ in full compliance with the Constitution and international agreements.