Italy has rejected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s claim that hundreds of US aircraft took off from American bases on its territory to support the war against Iran, insisting it cleared only technical and logistical flights.
The Italian defence ministry said on June 24 that Rutte’s account gave a misleading impression by blurring routine support missions with combat operations. It said Rome had never permitted activity beyond what existing treaties allow.
Rutte had told Fox News that Europe had become a platform for projecting US military power during the conflict. “Five hundred US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury,” he said.
The alliance chief put the wider European effort at between 4,000 and 5,000 missions. He also said Romania had reduced commercial air traffic in Bucharest so its airports could host US refuelling aircraft.
Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto, who noted that Rutte had no direct role in the operation, accused him of confusing political decisions with technical arrangements handled by his ministry.
The ministry said only “technical and logistical, non-kinetic” flights had been authorised under existing agreements. It added that Rome had refused every request that fell outside that scope.
NATO later sought to calm the row. Alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart said Rutte had been referring to the logistical and technical support that Italy provided under its bilateral arrangements for bases and overflights.
The dispute has deepened a rift between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump, who clashed publicly earlier this month over Rome’s refusal to back the campaign. Trump had told the alliance he felt let down by members who declined to support the strikes.
Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli assault on Iran, began on February 28. Italy hosts about 120 American military sites, including the Sigonella air station in Sicily and the Aviano base in northern Italy.
Rutte spoke before an expected meeting with Trump, as he sought to highlight European support and ease tensions within the alliance. He made no mention of allies such as Spain that had voiced reservations about the offensive.
Opposition leaders in Italy seized on his comments. The Five Star Movement demanded that Meloni explain the matter to parliament, while Nicola Fratoianni of the Green and Left Alliance said either the government had misled lawmakers or the alliance chief had “suffered a heatstroke”.
