Aragchi urges Italy to reject NATO claim despite Rome's denial of base use in attacks on Iran
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on Italy to formally reject remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggesting that US forces used Italian military bases during the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran, despite Rome's insistence that no Italian facilities were involved in the attacks.
During a phone conversation with Araghchi on Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani firmly rejected the allegation, stressing that no Italian military bases had been used for attacks on Iran and that no such use would be permitted in the future.
In his interview with FOX News ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, Rutte said Rome allowed 500 US military aircraft to take off from American bases in Italy during the 40-day war that began in late February.
The Italian foreign minister emphasized that US aircraft involved in bombing operations against Iran did not take off from Italian territory and that the Italian government had never authorized any military action against the Islamic Republic.
Araghchi welcomed the phone call and the clarification from his Italian counterpart, but stressed that the matter required an explicit and official denial from the Italian government.
“The Italian government must officially deny that its territory was used against Iran,” Araghchi stressed, underscoring the importance of removing any ambiguity surrounding Italy’s position.
Separately, on Thursday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, also warned that the NATO chief’s remarks could have serious legal consequences for the countries concerned.
“The NATO secretary-general’s statements regarding the use of military bases in Italy and Romania by the United States in its attack against Iran entail international responsibility for those countries,” Gharibabadi wrote in a post on his X account.
He added that, under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314, allowing a state to use another country's territory to carry out aggression against a third state constitutes an act of aggression itself.
Iran has consistently condemned the recent US-Israeli war as an unprovoked act of aggression, vowing to use all available legal and diplomatic mechanisms to seek accountability for those responsible.
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