Italy's Defence Minister Crosetto challenges Dutch PM Rutte on US flights from Italian bases

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto sharply rebuked Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte after the NATO secretary‑general claimed that about 500 U.S. flights had taken off from Italian bases to support operations against Iran. Crosetto asserted that Italy has only authorised non‑kinetic, technical and logistical flights under existing treaties and has not permitted any strikes, emphasizing that the numbers cited are comparable to routine activity in previous years.

The Italian government demanded that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni provide a parliamentary explanation, while opposition parties (PD, M5S, AVS) called for a debate in the Chamber. Tehran’s foreign ministry also criticised Italy, accusing it of complicity in the alleged aggression against Iran. Crosetto warned that unfounded statements could have wider international repercussions and pledged to supply verified data to the relevant authorities.