NATO Chief's Remarks on Italy's Role in US-Iran War Spark Outrage

A statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealing the Italian government’s involvement in the United States and Israel’s war against Iran has caused uproar. The reason is that Rutte’s statement contradicts the stance of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration. Rutte disclosed that the Italian government secretly permitted the US to use military bases on its territory during the raging conflict. This has sparked anger in Rome because it contradicts statements made by Italian government officials. In an interview with Fox News ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump, Rutte said Italy allowed 500 US military aircraft to take off from American bases in Italy during the war. ‘One by one, countries, one by one, allies, have provided their bases,’ Rutte said. ‘That means there were about 4,000 to 5,000 aircraft that took off from European bases to support Epic Fury,’ he stated, referring to the US military operation against Iran called ‘Operation Epic Fury’. ‘If you look at Italy, 500 US aircraft took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury. This is a very large number,’ he added. Previously, Prime Minister Meloni had said that only logistical and technical flights were permitted to operate in support of activities related to the US military operation against Iran. In March, Meloni also stressed that Italy neither supported nor participated. The revelation of Rome’s secret role has sparked widespread anger across the Italian political spectrum. Several opposition parties have demanded immediate clarification from the Meloni government. Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement and former Italian prime minister, accused the government of deception. Peppe De Cristofaro, leader of the Green and Left Alliance, described the situation as very serious and demanded that Meloni, along with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, immediately provide clarification before parliament. Another Green and Left Alliance leader, Angelo Bonelli, said Rutte’s statement had exposed Meloni’s lies. ‘The Italian government lied to parliament at the time by concealing 500 American flights. The fact is that Italy participated in the war against Iran, a crazy war,’ he alleged. Italian Defence Minister Crosetto dismissed Rutte’s statement. He insisted that Italy only authorised ‘technical and logistical activities of a non-kinetic nature’ in full compliance with the Constitution and international agreements. He accused Rutte of delivering a misleading message by equating flights with combat operations. Iran’s government expressed fury and accused NATO of ‘involvement’ in the US and Israeli war against Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the NATO chief’s statement, calling it an admission of NATO’s ‘active involvement’ in the ‘illegal war’ waged by the US and Israel. ‘This is a clear and incriminating admission of NATO’s active involvement in an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign UN member state,’ Baghaei said in a statement on social media platform X. Baghaei accused NATO of committing a blatant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.