Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused NATO of being complicit in what it described as an “unlawful war of aggression” after the alliance’s chief said European allies had assisted the United States and Israel during strikes on Iran.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said comments by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte amounted to “a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity” in the conflict.
Baghaei said NATO and the member states involved “must be held accountable for all the consequences” of their actions. He also named Italy and Romania among the countries that, he said, should explain “why they chose to collude”.
Earlier, speaking to Fox News, Rutte said Italy had allowed about 500 US aircraft to take off from American bases on its territory in support of President Donald Trump’s military operation against Iran, known as “Operation Epic Fury”.
Rutte also said authorities in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, had reduced commercial flights because airports were being used to support tanker aircraft involved in the operation.