‘Suffered a heatstroke’: Italy rebuts Nato chief's claim on US flights supporting Iran strikes
Italy on Wednesday pushed back against comments by Nato secretary general Mark Rutte that hundreds of US aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, insisting that Rome authorised only technical and logistical flights and not direct combat-related activities.The dispute erupted after Rutte told Fox News that around 500 US aircraft had departed from American bases in Italy to support “Operation Epic Fury”, the name given by Washington to its military campaign conducted alongside Israel against Iran.His remarks triggered a political storm in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has repeatedly maintained that it did not authorise the use of Italian territory for direct military action against Iran.
Italy says only logistical support was approved
In a statement, Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto said the government acted in full compliance with the country’s constitution, international treaties and agreements governing allied military bases.“As already clarified in parliament, the government authorised exclusively technical and logistical, non-kinetic activities,” Crosetto said, according to Reuters.He added that Italy had refused requests that went beyond those limits.Crosetto also criticised Rutte’s comments, saying the Nato chief had conveyed a “totally misleading message” by confusing authorised support flights with combat operations.Italy hosts around 120 US military facilities, including the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily and Aviano Air Base in northern Italy.
Nato clarifies Rutte’s remarks
Responding to the controversy, a Nato official said Rutte was only highlighting how allies, including Italy, had implemented existing bilateral agreements related to military basing and overflight permissions.Rutte said European allies had quietly made their bases available to support US operations even if they avoided publicly emphasising their role due to domestic political sensitivities.“If you look at Italy, 500 US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury. This is massive,” Rutte told Fox News.
Political pressure mounts on Meloni
Opposition parties seized on the controversy and demanded fresh explanations from the government.Former prime minister and Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte called on Meloni to clarify the issue in parliament, while Nicola Fratoianni of the Green and Left Alliance said either the government had misled lawmakers or Rutte “has suffered a heatstroke”.Opposition leaders argued that Rutte’s comments appeared to contradict repeated government assurances that Italy had not participated in the military campaign against Iran.The row comes amid already strained relations between Meloni and US President Donald Trump.Tensions have risen after Italy declined to support the US military campaign against Iran.
Fallout from Trump-Meloni dispute
The latest controversy follows a public exchange between Trump and Meloni over Italy’s stance during the Iran conflict.Trump recently criticised Italy for refusing to provide unrestricted access to Italian airfields and military infrastructure during the conflict and accused Meloni of seeking political advantage from her relationship with Washington.Meloni responded by stressing that Italy remained a sovereign nation and that the use of US military bases on Italian soil was governed by agreements that “cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister”.
