Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai accused NATO on Thursday of “complicity” in the “illegal war of aggression” launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, according to AFP, as reported by news.ro.

Baghai was responding to statements made on Fox News by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in which he stated that “500 U.S. aircraft took off from U.S. bases in Italy” to support the Israeli-U.S. military operation “Epic Fury,” launched against Iran on February 28.

Rutte also stated that the Bucharest airport had reduced the number of commercial flights to make room for the refueling aircraft used in this operation and that, during the conflict, between 4,000 and 5,000 flights by U.S. aircraft were conducted from European bases.

“This is a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity in an illegal war of aggression waged against a sovereign UN member state,” Baghai wrote on X.

“The NATO Secretary General explicitly identified Italy and Romania as countries that participated in the aggression against Iran,” emphasized the Iranian ministry’s spokesperson.

“These countries, as well as all other European countries that supported the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran, must explain to their own citizens and to the entire world why they chose to be complicit in this flagrant act of aggression and in the commission of mass atrocities against the Iranian people,” he added.

In Italy, the Ministry of Defense condemned Rutte’s statements on Wednesday, arguing that they conveyed “a completely misleading message,” since Rome had allowed the United States to use its bases only for technical and logistical flights, and not for combat missions.

In Bucharest, there is complete silence.