Iran says Europe's role in US attacks will not go unanswered

Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian official, said on Thursday evening that Europe cannot shirk its responsibility for supporting US military operations against Iran, according to a post he published on X. He was responding to remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding the use of European bases to support what Gharibabadi described as US aggression against Iran.

Gharibabadi wrote that Rutte's statements demonstrated Europe's role in enabling what he called the illegal US campaign. "Governments that placed their territory at the disposal of the United States cannot evade their responsibility," he said, adding that "this participation will not go unanswered."

Rutte has repeatedly acknowledged that thousands of US military flights, between 4,000 and 5,000, departed from bases in Europe during the US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic, which began on 28 February. He described Europe as a "platform of power projection" without which Washington could not have conducted the operation. Countries including Italy, Romania, the United Kingdom, France and Germany were cited in connection with the use of bases, airspace, tankers and logistics.

Iran has consistently described the US-Israeli assault as an unprovoked act of aggression in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law. The Mehr News report added that Gharibabadi's remarks underscore Tehran's position that European states involved in facilitating the operations bear responsibility for their participation.