Iran: NATO members complicit in US-Israeli aggression must be held to account

Iran says the NATO member states complicit in the illegal US-Israeli aggression against Iran, namely Italy and Romania, must be held accountable for their war crimes against the nation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in an X post on Thursday after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte cited Italy and Romania as examples of European countries that supported the recent military assault against Iran.

“Italy and Romania are explicitly named by NATO's SG to have participated in the aggression against Iran,” he said.

“They, along with every other European country that has assisted the American-Israeli aggression against Iran, must explain to their own people and to the world why they chose to collude in this blatant act of aggression and in the commission of mass atrocities against Iranian peoples in Minab, Lamerd, Tehran, Isfahan, Sanandaj, Hamadan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, etc.”

Speaking to Fox News television, Rutte said Rome quietly allowed “500 US planes” to take off from bases in Italy while Romania restricted commercial flights from Bucharest to facilitate US attacks on Iran.

Baghaei described Rutte’s comments as a “clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN Member State” in flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter.

“The Organization (NATO) and its individual member States that participated in such decision - making must be held accountable for all the consequences,” he added.

Italians outraged as NATO chief reveals secret role in 'crazy' US war on Iran

Mark Rutte’s remarks have sparked fresh controversy as Rome claims it denied permission for US warplanes bound for Iran.

The unprovoked US-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders.

On April 8, forty days later, however, Iran's brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations, as well as its powerful grip on the Strait of Hormuz, forced the enemies to accept a ceasefire.

On July 17, Tehran and Washington signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts and includes a commitment from both countries to hold further talks on a final agreement in the next 60 days.

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