Italian Defense Minister Denies U.S. Use of Bases for Iran Operations

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Italy‘s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has denied that American forces used Italian military bases during operations in Iran, citing data published by the Mehr News Agency, which quoted Shafaq News.

The Italian Defense Minister expressed surprise at the NATO Secretary General, stating that the narrative presented suggests a completely misleading message by misidentifying the types of flights authorized, especially since the Secretary General was not directly involved in the ‘Epic Rage’ operations.

A statement confirmed that only technical and logistical, non-combat activities were permitted within the framework of established procedures in existing agreements.

Crosetto further added that Italy has consistently denied authorization for any requests falling outside this established framework.

These remarks were made in response to statements by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who had previously suggested that the United States had conducted military operations against Iran from U.S. bases located in Italy.

This assertion triggered a political debate within Italy, as the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had repeatedly affirmed that it had not granted permission for the use of its territory for direct military operations against Iran.