Naval Air Station Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily is shown with Mt. Etna in the background of this undated photo. (Jacques-Laurent Jean-Gilles/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — Italy moved quickly this week to affirm its relationship with the United States after refusing to allow American military planes involved in operations against Iran to use a strategic base in Sicily.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that Italy’s partnership with America was “solid” following reports that U.S. military aircraft were denied permission to land at Naval Air Station Sigonella last week before flying onward to the Middle East.
There are “no critical issues or tensions with international partners,” a statement from Meloni’s office said Tuesday. The statement went on to emphasize that “relations with the United States, in particular, are solid and based on full and loyal cooperation,” Italian media reported.
Meloni’s comments come as President Donald Trump continues to criticize NATO allies for what he considers insufficient support for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, including efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview published Wednesday in the British newspaper The Telegraph, Trump said he was strongly considering pulling out of NATO after the conflict, which is now in its fifth week.
On Monday, Spain announced that it had closed its airspace to U.S. military aircraft involved in attacks on Iran. The action drew strong condemnation from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also blasted an earlier Spanish decision to restrict use of U.S. bases in the country for the same reason.
“If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio said Monday on Al Jazeera. Rubio went on to say that U.S. involvement in the alliance would need to be “reexamined.”
In the case of Italy, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto denied access to NAS Sigonella Friday because the U.S. had not sought prior authorization or consulted with Italian military officials, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Tuesday.
A request for permission only came after the U.S. military planes were in flight. Subsequent checks indicated that the flights were not routine or logistical, falling outside the scope of U.S.-Italy agreements, ANSA reported.
In clarifying his decision, Crosetto said he wanted to ensure international pacts, including the Status of Forces Agreement of 1951 and the Italy-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding of 1995, were respected.
There is “no animosity or tension” with the U.S., Crosetto reiterated in a post to his official X account Tuesday.
Stars and Stripes reporter John Vandiver based in Germany contributed to this report.
