Also Italy against Trump: the unusual move of the army

Europe continues to oppose the Trump administration and the war in Iran, and this morning (Tuesday) it was reported that Italy also prevented US military planes from landing on its territory on the way to possible attacks. The report about Italy’s unusual step comes after it was reported yesterday that Spain closed its airspace to US military planes for attacks on Iran.

According to a report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper in Italy, Italy refused to allow American military planes on their way to the Middle East to land at a base in Sicily. According to the report, the American flight plan was “submitted without approval or coordination” with the national authorities, and was transferred after American planes were already in the air.

According to the report, this is an incident that happened a few nights ago, but it was only announced about it now. Tests conducted by the Italian army revealed that the flights are not routine and are not intended for logistical purposes, and are therefore not included in the framework of the existing bilateral agreements, and therefore require parliamentary approval and oversight.

Yesterday it was reported in the Spanish newspaper El País that Spain has closed its airspace, including at NATO bases, to US military planes intended to carry out attacks in Iran, including refueling planes and including planes that take off for onward flights at bases in France or Great Britain and from where they are supposed to take off for attacks. Due to the decision, which was explicitly announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the US canceled plans to place bombers at NATO bases in Spain B52 and-B1.

The move could exacerbate tensions with Washington, which has already criticized its European allies for their lack of support in the war with Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the US may have to re-examine its relationship with NATO after the end of the war. President Donald Trump often attacks NATO, saying that the US will “remember this” later.

At the domestic Italian political level, right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney conducted a pro-American policy for more than three years that managed to balance well the support and close relationship with Trump and intra-European interests. Despite this, last week Maloney lost painfully in a critical referendum that was associated with her, and suffered a severe political blow. Against this background, it may be forced to find compromises in favor of the voices of criticism in Italy for the war with Iran, who are partly identified with the opposition, but also with critical voices within the government such as the Minister of Defense Guido Crosto or the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tiani.