Standing up for "Daddy": NATO Secretary-General Names Italy, Accusing It of Aiding U.S. Attacks on Iran
After a heated dispute between the leaders of the U.S. and Italy, NATO Secretary-General Lubbers quickly stepped forward to defend "Daddy."
Recently, Lubbers claimed in an interview that although NATO allies did not directly engage in the U.S.-Iran conflict, they all provided support to U.S. military operations, including allowing American forces to use their military bases.
During the crisis, thousands of aircraft took off from Europe to support U.S. operations. Lubbers specifically cited Italy, stating that 500 U.S. aircraft had launched missions from Italian bases to participate in attacks on Iran.
This statement caused a major uproar in Italian politics, with opposition parties demanding an explanation from Prime Minister Meloni’s government. Previously, Meloni had stated that only U.S. aircraft conducting logistical and technical flights were permitted to take off from Italian territory; no authorization was granted for combat missions.
Italian opposition parties believe Meloni may have lied about this matter, or that Lubbers deliberately fabricated facts to curry favor with Trump.
The Meloni government swiftly responded: Italian Defense Minister Crosetto stated that Lubbers’ claims were entirely baseless—Italy had never authorized U.S. forces to use its bases to attack Iran.
Subsequently, a NATO official explained that Lubbers’ remarks were not intended to implicate Italy, but merely to emphasize the continued strength and unity of the NATO alliance, with no other underlying intent.
This explanation seems somewhat unconvincing. With so many NATO members, it's hard not to suspect that Lubbers singled out Italy due to the recent tensions between Meloni and Trump.
Previously, Trump claimed in an interview that Meloni was his biggest fan—but clearly, she doesn’t deserve such a title, as Italy and other NATO countries refused to join the U.S.-led maritime escort operation in the Strait.
Last week, he also said that Meloni desperately begged him for a photo during the G7 summit. Though he initially didn’t want to take one, he finally agreed out of respect for her sincerity.
Meloni strongly rejected Trump’s statements, expressing confusion over why the U.S. president seemed eager to lie to allies while showing leniency toward enemies. This perfectly illustrates the old saying: being an ally of America is more dangerous than being its enemy.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868945474541707/
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