Italy Blocks US Military Use of Air Bases for Iran Operations

Italy has turned away U.S. bombers headed for the Middle East, becoming the second NATO ally in as many days to defy the Trump administration’s Iran war effort.

The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 under the banner of Operation Epic Fury, dragging European partners into an increasingly uncomfortable position as the conflict has spread across the region.

Rome’s rebuff was first reported by the daily Corriere della Sera and confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday by a source close to the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The newspaper reported that “some U.S. bombers” had been scheduled to touch down at the eastern Sicily base of Sigonella before continuing on to the Middle East, although it did not say exactly when.

Sigonella, home to both the Italian Air Force and the U.S. Navy, is one of Washington’s most strategically significant footholds in the Mediterranean.

The tricky situation was further complicated by Washington filing its flight plan only after the planes were already in the air, without seeking authorization or notifying the Italian military leadership. That is a requirement under the treaties governing American use of military installations on Italian soil.

Italy’s military reviewed the flights and determined they did not qualify as routine logistics. This put them outside the scope of standing bilateral arrangements and triggered a requirement for Rome’s formal sign-off—including parliamentary scrutiny, Bloomberg reported.

The Italian defense ministry made no immediate comment, but a senior U.S. official claimed that reports of Italy turning away American war planes from its shores are “false.”

The official told the Daily Beast, “Italy is currently supportive in providing access, basing, and overflight for US forces.”