The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the statements by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte – to the effect that the United States had used some of the military alliance’s bases in Europe in the war against Iran – as an “admission” of its “complicity” in the conflict and called for it to be held to account.
Rutte’s comments, which were a response to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO’s lack of cooperation in Washington’s military campaign against Tehran, constitute “an admission of the organisation’s active complicity in carrying out military aggression against an independent country”, the ministry stated.
Rutte noted that during the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, European NATO member states had cooperated closely with the United States, and between 4,000 and 5,000 operational flights by the US military had been carried out from European bases, particularly in Italy.
Italian officials refuted this claim, stating that they had only allowed the US to use the country’s bases for logistical and support flights on the basis of bilateral commitments with Washington, and that no offensive operations had been conducted from Italy.
Several of America’s European allies, including Italy and Spain, spoke out explicitly against the war, whilst others, such as the UK, Germany and France, adopted a more cautious stance and avoided entering the war, which drew sharp criticism from Trump.
Trump used his meeting with Rutte on 24 June to reiterate his frustration with NATO members who had opposed or distanced themselves from the conflict, telling the Secretary-General that many allies had ‘disappointed him’ with regard to Iran.
Although Rutte defended European cooperation, emphasising vital logistical support and access to airspace, Trump added that he would not have attended the NATO summit in Ankara on 7–8 July had it not been for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is hosting the event.