TEHRAN— Iran has fiercely criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following statements by its Secretary General confirming alliance members’ support for US-Israeli military strikes against Iranian territory.
On Thursday (25 June), Tehran officially accused NATO of becoming a “partner” in the US-Israeli war efforts. The backlash follows recent public pressure from US President Donald Trump, who chided Washington’s allies for not offering sufficient backing in the escalating conflict with Iran.
In response to the criticism, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed during an interview with the American network *Fox News* that hundreds of fighter jets had utilized allied airspace and bases during the military campaign, dubbed Operation “Epic Fury.”
“One after another, allied countries opened up their bases for Operation Epic Fury,” Rutte said, noting that 500 warplanes took off from US bases located in Italy to support the mission. He further disclosed that Romania had restricted commercial flights at its airports to prioritize refueling tanker logistics during the active conflict.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a stern rebuke to the admissions. Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the comments represent a clear and open confession of NATO’s active complicity in an “illegal and aggressive war” against an independent, sovereign member state of the United Nations.
In a post published on the social media platform X, Baghaei wrote: “This is a flagrant violation of the peremptory norms of international law and the fundamental principles enshrined in the UN Charter.”
Allies Push Back on NATO Statements
Amid the diplomatic fallout, Italy moved swiftly to distance itself from the NATO chief’s remarks. The Italian Ministry of Defence issued a statement clarifying that Rutte’s comments provided a “completely misleading message” regarding the nature of the authorized flights.
Rome insisted that under existing bilateral agreements with the United States, it had only permitted American flights related to “technical and logistical support” during Operation Epic Fury. The Italian government explicitly rejected any allegations of direct involvement in offensive military operations against Iran.
