Italy denies NATO chief's claim of assisting US against Iran

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani held a telephone conversation on Thursday evening with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. During the call, Tajani firmly rejected recent remarks by the Secretary General of NATO regarding the alleged use of US military bases in Italy for military operations against Iran.

The Italian foreign minister stressed that no Italian military base had been used in any attack on Iran and that no such action would be permitted in the future. He further stated that US aircraft involved in bombing operations against Iran did not take off from Italian territory and that the Italian government had never authorized such operations.

Araghchi welcomed the phone call and the clarification provided by his Italian counterpart, while emphasizing the need for the Italian government to issue an explicit and official denial of the claims. In reaction to the NATO secretary general's claim, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said NATO must be held to account for its complicity in US and Israeli actions against Iran.

According to Mehr News, the conversation comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance, with Italy seeking to clarify its position and distance itself from any military operations against Iran.