Italy Refuses to Allow Its Base to be Used in War Against Iran

SadaNews - In a step that deepens the crisis in Washington's relationship with NATO, Italy has finally refused to allow some American aircraft heading to the Middle East on a combat mission to land at the Sigonella base in eastern Sicily, according to sources in the Ministry of Defense and Italian media.

With this, Italy joins Spain in not allowing the use of its military bases by American military aircraft in the war against Iran.

Under the terms of agreements with the United States, American military aircraft can use some Italian bases but only for logistical purposes.

The government and parliament must approve any request that includes combat missions.

A source in the Ministry of Defense told AFP, "They requested permission to land...they were in the air, and there wasn’t enough time to consult with parliament, so the request was denied."

The Sigonella base is located in eastern Sicily, south of the city of Catania.

A report by the "Corriere della Sera" stated that the incident occurred days ago and included American bombers.

The source indicated that he did not have information about when the incident occurred or the number of aircraft that wanted to land.

Following the report, the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement saying that relations with the United States are "strong and based on full and honest cooperation."

It added, "Italy is fully committed to international agreements... Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis."

However, opposition leader Elly Schlein stated that the incident showed that "the United States wants to use our territory as a platform for war in the Middle East."

She added, "Italy's refusal to grant the permit cannot be a one-time decision but must become a clear political line, especially in light of future inappropriate requests from the American leadership."

These reports followed the confirmation from the Spanish government that it had closed its airspace to American aircraft conducting missions against Iran.