Rutte Reveals Europe Backed US Iran War With Bases
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- NATO's Mark Rutte revealed that 4-5,000 US planes took off from European bases during the six-week war under Operation Epic Fury, with 500 from Italy alone and Romania cutting commercial flights to store US tankers at a city airport.
- Iran's Foreign Ministry accused NATO of 'active complicity' in an 'unlawful war of aggression,' calling it a flagrant violation of international law and demanding accountability for a conflict that killed over 3,400 people and damaged oil and civilian infrastructure.
- Trump told Rutte he was 'disappointed with Italy, the UK, Germany, and France' and called Spain 'a horror show,' while separately threatening to walk out of NATO over European refusal to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
- Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto rejected Rutte's characterization as a 'totally misleading message,' insisting Italy authorized only 'technical and logistical, non-kinetic activities' under longstanding 1954 bilateral agreements, sparking opposition demands for new parliamentary explanations.
- UK PM Keir Starmer allowed use of the Diego Garcia base strictly for 'defensive manoeuvres,' while Spain and France refused airbase use for military purposes, with most EU capitals citing lack of legal basis, no Brussels consultation, and civilian targeting concerns.
- European allies are continuing to pre-position assets near the Strait of Hormuz for demining operations, Rutte said, as the annual NATO summit approaches in two weeks in Ankara.
Why it matters: Italy's public break with Rutte, combined with domestic opposition demands for explanations, leaves NATO heading into the Ankara summit in two weeks with the transatlantic rift unresolved and Tehran now on record demanding accountability for allied complicity — a diplomatic exposure that could reshape burden-sharing negotiations.
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