NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s assertion that European allies provided extensive logistical support for the US-led military operation against Iran has drawn a sharp diplomatic rebuke from Tehran and forced Italy into a public denial. In an interview with Fox News, Rutte stated that “500 US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury” and that Romania reduced commercial air traffic to accommodate American tanker aircraft. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, described the remarks as “a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State,” and explicitly named Italy and Romania as participants that must explain their actions to their own publics and the world.

Viewed from Tehran, the comments validate a long-standing narrative that European NATO members are not neutral bystanders but direct enablers of what Iran frames as a joint US-Israeli campaign. Baghaei’s statement, posted on social media, cited a list of Iranian cities—including Minab, Lamerd, Tehran, and Isfahan—where he alleged mass atrocities occurred, and demanded that “NATO and its individual member states that participated in such decision-making must be held responsible for all consequences.” The Iranian position, consistent with its previous appeals to Article 51 of the UN Charter, treats the allied logistical footprint as indistinguishable from combat participation, a legal argument that Western capitals reject but that resonates with states sceptical of the US-led order.

Italy’s defence ministry moved quickly to distance itself from Rutte’s characterisation, issuing a statement that called the NATO chief’s words “a completely misleading message by confusing the type of flights that were authorised.” According to Italian officials, only “technical and logistical” activities were permitted under existing bilateral agreements, and any request falling outside that scope was denied. A NATO spokesperson later clarified that Rutte was referring to “logistics or technical support.” The episode has nonetheless ignited a domestic political storm for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had previously told parliament that Italy “neither supported nor participated in military operations against Iran.” Opposition parties are now demanding she appear before lawmakers to clarify the extent of Italian involvement, while analysts in Rome note that the distinction between logistical and kinetic support is legally and politically fragile.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a broader transatlantic rift over burden-sharing. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with European allies, stating he was “let down” by Italy, the UK, Germany, and France for not backing the war effort more robustly. Rutte’s interview appeared designed to counter that narrative by demonstrating that European bases served as a “platform of power projection” for the United States, with between 4,000 and 5,000 sorties flown from the continent. NATO officials argue that the ability of the US military to use European infrastructure for global operations is the alliance’s strongest leverage to persuade Washington to maintain its presence. Meanwhile, the operational dossier continues to evolve: UN-coordinated evacuations of mariners from the Strait of Hormuz are under way, oil prices have fallen back to pre-war levels, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signalled that Washington seeks a durable agreement with Iran but “not at any price.” The Italian parliament is expected to hold hearings on the matter in the coming days.