Italy bristles at NATO chief's disclosure of US flights from Italian bases in Iran war

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated on Wednesday that 500 planes took off from American bases in Italy during the Iran war, with thousands of additional jets flying to Iran from other European locations, according to Politico Europe. The disclosure was made public during a period of heightened tension between the Italian government and the Trump administration over defense spending, trade policy, and military cooperation in the Middle East.

Italy on Wednesday criticized Rutte's comments as "completely misleading," according to the Local Italy. The government demanded clarification on what the NATO chief had actually said and the context in which he made the statement. The row touches on a politically sensitive issue in Italy: the degree of Italian involvement in US military operations abroad, particularly in conflicts where public opinion remains divided.

The timing compounds existing friction between Rome and Washington. Politico Europe reported this week that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has clashed with President Donald Trump over defense spending levels and trade policy, reversing years of Meloni's positioning as Trump's natural European ally. Italy's low defense spending relative to NATO expectations and its trade surplus with the United States have become flashpoints in Trump's America First agenda.