Iran says NATO aided US-Israel war after Rutte base remarks
Tehran accused NATO of complicity after Mark Rutte said European allies opened bases for US operations against Iran.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Iran accused NATO of helping the United States and Israel wage war after the alliance’s chief said European bases supported US military operations against Iran. The charge adds pressure to European governments that have tried to distance themselves from direct involvement in the conflict, Al Jazeera reported.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s comments amounted to an admission of “active complicity” in what Tehran calls an unlawful war against a UN member state. Baghaei said NATO and member states involved in decisions on the war should be held accountable for the consequences.
Rutte, speaking during a visit to the United States, said European allies had widely made military facilities available to Washington during the six-week US operation against Iran, according to Al Jazeera. He told Fox News that “4-5,000” US planes had taken off from bases in Europe during the war.
Rutte cited Italy and Romania among countries that assisted the US military. He said 500 US aircraft flew from bases in Italy and said Romania reduced commercial flights so US forces could store tankers at an airport, Al Jazeera reported.
The NATO chief also said European allies were placing assets near the Strait of Hormuz to support missions such as demining. He described some refusals of assistance as “isolated cases” and said country after country had made bases available for Operation Epic Fury, the US name for the campaign against Iran.
Trump criticizes European allies
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized European governments for what he described as limited support during the war. During a meeting with Rutte in Washington on Wednesday, Trump said he was disappointed with Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, and called Spain “a horror show,” Al Jazeera reported.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated Washington’s criticism on Thursday in Manama, Bahrain. Rubio said Europe’s refusal to allow use of some military bases weakened the alliance between the continent and the US.
Al Jazeera reported that European governments largely backed Trump’s military campaign politically while avoiding active combat roles, saying the conflict was not Europe’s war. European capitals were also wary because the war lacked a clear legal basis, was launched without consultation with Brussels and involved repeated attacks on civilians and institutions including schools and hospitals, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump and Israel justified the war by saying Iran was close to building nuclear weapons, Al Jazeera reported. That claim was rejected by the US intelligence community, according to the report.
Italy disputes Rutte’s account
Rutte’s remarks triggered a political backlash in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had publicly said Rome would not join the war. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Rutte had sent a “totally misleading message” by confusing authorized support flights with combat operations.
Crosetto said Italy had acted in line with its constitution, international treaties and agreements governing allied bases on Italian soil. He said the government approved only technical, logistical and non-kinetic activities, according to Al Jazeera.
Italy hosts nearly 120 US military facilities, including the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily and Aviano airbase in northern Italy. Meloni said in March that Italy was not at war and did not want to enter one, while adding that Rome would honor longstanding bilateral agreements with Washington dating to 1954.
Opposition politicians in Italy demanded further explanation after Rutte’s comments. Nicola Fratoianni of the Greens and Left Alliance said either the government had misled parliament or Rutte “has suffered heatstroke,” Al Jazeera reported.
The dispute comes ahead of NATO’s annual meeting in Ankara in two weeks. Al Jazeera reported that Trump has long pressed alliance members to spend more on defense and wants NATO countries to devote 5 percent of gross domestic product to military spending.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.