Iran on Thursday accused NATO of “active complicity” in the US war against the country, following remarks by the bloc’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte about providing support for Washington during the conflict.
In an interview with Fox News, Rutte pushed back against criticisms from US President Donald Trump by highlighting how European NATO allies “have made their bases available for Epic Fury,” referring to the US military operation against Iran, launched alongside Israel on February 28, 2026.
Rutte specified Italy and Romania, saying that 500 US planes used Italian bases during the conflict, while Bucharest cut down on commercial air flights to clear airport space for US aerial refueling tankers.
In response to these comments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei slammed Rutte’s admission of “active complicity” in what he called an “unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State.”
Baghaei said that NATO and its individual member states involved in such decision-making “must be held accountable for all the consequences.”
Rutte’s remarks also sparked Italy’s fury, igniting a domestic political storm for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In a statement, the Italian Defense Ministry dismissed Rutte‘s remarks, saying that Italy’s government authorized “exclusively technical and logistical, non-kinetic activities” and rejected requests that fell outside this scope.
Rome’s relations with Washington are already strained by a recent spat between Meloni and Trump. Last week, Meloni and Trump engaged in a public row over Italy’s refusal to allow the US to use Italian air facilities during military operations in Iran, which saw the US President launch personal attacks on the Italian leader.
