Italy Slams Mark Rutte Claims of 500 US Flights From Italian Bases During Iran War

The Italian government on Wednesday directly rejected claims by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that hundreds of U.S. military flights used Italian bases to support operations against Iran.

Speaking to Fox News, Rutte stated that 500 U.S. aircraft departed from American bases in Italy to support Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

He added that European allies conducted between 4,000 and 5,000 flight missions in total to back the U.S. actions.

The remarks have triggered a severe political backlash in Rome.

The NATO chief made the comments in Washington ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump, whom he described as "the leader of the free world."

Rutte noted that an upcoming alliance summit in Türkiye on July 7-8 would consolidate Trump's leadership.

Rome's Immediate Rejection

The Italian Ministry of Defense, led by Guido Crosetto, issued a swift rebuttal calling Rutte's narrative "totally fallacious."

The ministry accused the NATO chief of confusing the types of authorized flights and transmitting an inaccurate message.

Italian defense officials stated that Rome has exclusively permitted technical and logistical support, strictly forbidding kinetic operations.

The ministry emphasized that whenever requests fell outside bilateral treaties, authorization was withheld, referencing Rome's previous refusal to clear operations from Sigonella.

NATO officials later attempted to de-escalate the friction, clarifying that Rutte's remarks referred only to technical and logistical compliance with existing bilateral base agreements.

Domestic Political Backlash

Despite the clarifications, Italian opposition leaders launched immediate attacks against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Opposition figures accused the prime minister of misleading the public and parliament regarding Italy's role in the conflict.

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, stated that Rutte's comments exposed government misrepresentations regarding an illegitimate war.

Leaders from the Democratic Party and the Alliance of Greens and Left demanded that Meloni urgently address parliament to clarify the operational status of the bases.

U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman J. Fertitta sought to ease tensions, praising Meloni's leadership over the past five years during a television interview.