Italy has denied allowing US airstrikes on Iran from its bases, disputing comments by NATO chief Mark Rutte over Rome’s role.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday denied claims of ‘active usage’ of Italian airbases by the US for airstrikes on Iran. Meloni said Italy only provided the US with technical and logistics support. Speaking during a Franco-Italian summit in France, Meloni firmly maintained that Italy never participated in the war between the US and Iran, Politico reported.
Meloni said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte made “misleading remarks” on Italy’s role in the US-Iran war. In an interview with Fox News, late on Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had claimed that Italy played a key role in the US-Iran conflict by allowing 500 US aircraft for strikes on Iran to support operation ‘Epic Fury’.
Italian Foreign Minister talks to Araghchi
Shortly after Meloni’s comments, Italian Foreign Minister Antonia Tajani dialled Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to clarify Italy’s role. In a post on X, Tajani shared the details of his conversation with Araghchi. Tanjani wrote on X: “Italy has never taken part in any military action against Iran and never authorised the use of its airbases against strike on them.”
Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto also shared a brief description of the number of flights in transit when ‘Operation Epic Fury’ took place. In a post on X, he said: “The number of flights in transit at Sigonella and Aviano during the Epic Fury period was far lower than the number of flights in transit in the years 2019-2025.”
NATO official clarifies Mark Rutte’s remarks
Italy hosts about 120 US military facilities including the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily and the Aviano air base in northern Italy.
Responding to a request for comment by Reuters, a NATO official later clarified Mark Rutte had only pointed to existing bilateral agreements under which allies, including Italy, allow military basing, technical and logistical support and overflight arrangements.
Iran says ‘such an act considered an act of aggression’
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that the statements by NATO chief Rutte suggesting use of Italian and Romanian airbases by the US for strikes on Iran calls for introspection of international responsibilities by these countries. Sharing a post on X, he said: “According to General Assembly Resolution 3314, the provision of territory by a state for use by a third state to carry out aggression against another country is considered an act of aggression.”
Foreign Affairs of Iran Esmaeil Baqaei, sharing a post on X, said that Italy and Romania are explicitly named by NATO’s Secretary General to have participated in the aggression against Iran.
Giorgia Meloni’s government had previously said that only logistical and technical flights covered by the bilateral treaty governing US military bases in Italy would be allowed to use its airbases to fly to the Middle East. Meloni’s government has maintained this stance ever since the war broke out between the US and Iran.
As per Reuters, on April 7, 2026, Italy denied permission for a US military aircraft to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily en route to the Middle East. On March 31, ‘some US bombers’ had been due to land at the base in eastern Sicily before flying on to the Middle East. Italy denied permission for landing of these aircrafts.
