Italian FM dials Iranian FM, says Italian airbases were never used for actions against Iran
Rome [Italy], June 26 (ANI): Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani held a telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and clarified that Italy has never taken part in any military initiative and has never authorized the use of bases for war actions against Iran.
Tajani requested a return to full opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, he said, "I spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Italy has never taken part in any military initiative and has never authorized the use of bases for war actions against Iran, in the strictest respect of the treaties with the United States. I requested a return to full opening of the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating the passage of all Italian cargo ships still blocked. The reopening of the Italian embassy in Tehran is a strong signal of dialogue, also in view of the resumption of economic and cultural relations."
Ho parlato con il Ministro degli Esteri iraniano @araghchi. L’Italia non ha mai preso parte ad alcuna iniziativa militare e non ha mai autorizzato l’utilizzo delle basi per azioni di guerra contro l’Iran, nel rispetto più rigoroso dei trattati con gli Stati Uniti. Ho chiesto che… pic.twitter.com/9LC5ad7r9C
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) June 25, 2026
Guido Crosetto, Italian Minister of Defence also noted that the number of flights in transit at Sigonella and Aviano during the Epic Fury period was far lower than the number of flights in transit in the years 2019-2025.
"For informational purposes, the number of flights in transit at Sigonella and Aviano during the Epic Fury period was far lower than the number of flights in transit in the years: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019. These are the years on which I limited the verification, but I could go further back. They are official Defense data for which we can provide the precise figures."
Una delle cose che ha destato più scalpore nelle parole di Rutte è stato il numero dei voli.
— Guido Crosetto (@GuidoCrosetto) June 25, 2026
Ho lasciato volutamente che si inseguissero le dichiarazioni su quanto fosse alto il numero.
A titolo informativo il numero dei voli in transito a Sigonella ed Aviano nel periodo di Epic…
Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran, noted that the provision of territory by a state for use by a third state to carry out aggression against another country is considered an act of aggression.
In a post on X, he said, "The statements of the NATO Secretary General regarding the use by the United States of Italian and Romanian bases in an attack on Iran give rise to the international responsibility of these countries. According to General Assembly Resolution 3314, the provision of territory by a state for use by a third state to carry out aggression against another country is considered an act of aggression."
اظهارات دبیرکل ناتو درباره استفاده آمریکا از پایگاه های ایتالیا و رومانی در حمله به ایران، موجب مسئولیت بینالمللی این کشورهاست. طبق قطعنامه ۳۳۱۴ مجمع عمومی، در اختیارگذاشتن سرزمین توسط یک دولت در جهت استفاده دولت ثالث برای انجام تجاوز علیه کشور دیگر، اقدام تجاوز محسوب می شود.
— Gharibabadi (@Gharibabadi) June 25, 2026
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Esmaeil Baqaei, said that Italy and Romania are explicitly named by NATO's Secretary General to have participated in the aggression against Iran.
This is a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State — a flagrant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN Charter.
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 25, 2026
The Organization and its individual… pic.twitter.com/q2OPKVrSkM
The hocus pocus ensued after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Rome allowed 500 U.S. military aircraft to take off from American bases in Italy during U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, sparking a political backlash in Italy, Politico reported.
Speaking to Fox News late Tuesday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, Rutte also said: "Country after country, ally after ally ... have made their bases available ... That means thousands, between 4,000 and 5,000 ... planes taking off from European bases to support Epic Fury."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government had previously said that only logistical and technical flights covered by the bilateral treaty governing US military bases in Italy would be allowed to use its airbases to fly to the Middle East, as per Politico. (ANI)
