Iran slams NATO chief's comments on US support in war

Iran has strongly condemned NATO's acknowledgment of its support for US military operations, labeling it as "active complicity" in what Tehran calls an "unlawful war of aggression." The accusation came after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte mentioned that hundreds of American planes launched from bases in Italy as part of the US military operation in Iran, referred to as "Epic Fury."

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This is a clear and damning admission of NATO's active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State.

Responding to Rutte's comments made to Fox News, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that the NATO chief's admission was a "clear and damning admission of NATO's active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State." Baqaei further asserted that this constituted a "flagrant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN Charter."

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A flagrant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN Charter.

The remarks by Rutte, which also touched upon allies making bases available and Romania adjusting commercial air traffic for military needs, were made in the context of US President Donald Trump's criticism of allies for not sufficiently supporting the conflict. Trump had reportedly expressed disappointment to Rutte over the lack of backing from some alliance members.

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Country after country, ally after ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury.

Italy's defense ministry quickly sought to distance itself from Rutte's statements, issuing a clarification that his words might have given a "completely misleading message by confusing the type of flights that were authorised." The Italian ministry emphasized that Italy had only permitted "technical and logistical" US flights during the operation, in accordance with existing agreements with the United States. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Iran and Western-aligned nations regarding the conflict.

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Five hundred US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury.