Iran Accuses NATO of Complicity After Rutte Reveals Allied Support In US Strikes

Iran has escalated its criticism of NATO following comments by Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding allied support during the recent U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, Times of Israel reported.

Based on what it called Rutte's "damning admission", Iran's Foreign Ministry accused NATO of "active complicity" in an "unlawful war of aggression".

Iranian officials specifically called out Italy and Romania. They demanded accountability from European governments they allege facilitated American and Israeli military operations. The dispute has opened a new diplomatic front, raising questions about the role of allied bases, logistics, and military infrastructure in modern warfare.

Rutte Reveals Allied Support

In an interview with Fox News, Rutte detailed European contributions to Operation Epic Fury, the US-led military campaign against Iran.

"Country after country, ally after ally after ally, have made their bases available," Rutte told the network.

He said that "five hundred U.S. planes took off from U.S. bases in Italy to support Epic Fury". Rutte also said Romania restricted commercial air flights to free up airport space for tanker facilities.

Allied Responses Diverge

Italy's Ministry of Defence strongly rejected Rutte's claims. Rome said it only authorised "technical and logistical, non-kinetic" flights under existing treaties and refused requests for offensive combat operations, democrata.es and aa.com.tr reported.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani downplayed the dispute over the secretary general's remarks. He called the situation "a storm in a teacup" and said the comments were misinterpreted.

So far, Romania's government has not issued any official response or statement addressing Rutte's claims regarding commercial flight restrictions.

Fury of US

A Few days back, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth announced a review of American military deployments in Europe on Thursday, strongly rebuking NATO partners regarding their military expenditures and positions on the conflict in Iran.

The review came amid growing pressure from the Trump administration for European allies to shoulder a larger share of the alliance's defence burden. Hegseth has repeatedly argued that NATO members must significantly increase military spending and reduce their reliance on American security guarantees. The United States has also signalled a broader strategic shift towards the Indo-Pacific as it seeks to counter China's growing military influence.