Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of oversimplifying Italy's role in supporting US military operations against Iran, insisting that Rome had authorized only technical and logistical assistance.
Speaking after an Italian-French government summit, Meloni said Rutte had, in his "very enthusiastic account," conflated different issues and confused the nature of the flights approved by Italy.
Rutte had sparked controversy in Rome earlier this week during an interview with Fox News, in which he said 500 US military aircraft had departed from bases in Italy in support of Operation Epic Fury, the name given by Washington to its military campaign against Iran.
Italy's Defence Ministry fired back, saying that only "technical and logistical" activities had been authorized, not combat operations. A NATO spokeswoman later clarified that Rutte had been referring to logistical and technical support provided by allies such as Italy.
Meloni, speaking at press conference in Antibes, France, reiterated that position on Thursday.
"Had we participated in the conflict in Iran, then - with all due respect - the repeated disappointment expressed by the American president would hardly be understandable," she said, referring to frequent complaints by President Donald Trump that European allies had not offered sufficient support.
Rutte met Trump at the White House on Wednesday as he sought to smooth relations with the administration ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
