Milan, 1 July (LaPresse) – “Any military operation that took place in Iran, including those carried out by the US, was not a NATO operation, so it was unlikely that Secretary-General Rutte could have known what happened in Italy. His statements were not only ill-advised but also untrue.” This was stated by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, in response to a question during Question Time in the Chamber of Deputies. This refers to an interview given a few days ago by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to Fox News, in which he stated that “one country after another, one ally after another, have made their bases available for Operation Epic Fury” and mentioned both Italy and Romania, saying that 500 US aircraft had used Italian bases “to support” the operation. “We have reiterated this on several occasions and I reaffirm it clearly once again today in this Chamber: Italy has never taken part in any military initiative against Iran. Nor has it ever authorised the use of its bases for acts of war against Tehran,” said Tajani, adding that “the government has always acted in strict compliance with the Constitution, the law and international treaties, starting with the bilateral agreements with the United States dating back to 1954 and consistently upheld by governments of all political persuasions and by all our main European partners”.
Iran, Tajani: “Rutte’s statements are ill-advised and untrue”
Milan, 1 July (LaPresse) – “Any military operation that took place in Iran, including those carried out by the US, was not a NATO operation, so it was unlikely that Secretary-General Rutte could have known what happened in Italy. His statements were not only ill-advised but also untrue.” This was stated by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, in response to a question during Question Time in the Chamber of Deputies. This refers to an interview given a few days ago by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to Fox News, in which he stated that “one country after another, one ally after another, have made their bases available for Operation Epic Fury” and mentioned both Italy and Romania, saying that 500 US aircraft had used Italian bases “to support” the operation. “We have reiterated this on several occasions and I reaffirm it clearly once again today in this Chamber: Italy has never taken part in any military initiative against Iran. Nor has it ever authorised the use of its bases for acts of war against Tehran,” said Tajani, adding that “the government has always acted in strict compliance with the Constitution, the law and international treaties, starting with the bilateral agreements with the United States dating back to 1954 and consistently upheld by governments of all political persuasions and by all our main European partners”.
