Rome boosts air defence to maximum amid Iran crisis as Meloni rules out any current US request for base use
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Italy has raised its air-defence protection to the highest level as tensions escalate across the Middle East, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome has so far received no request from the United States to use military bases in Italy for strikes against Iran.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the decision followed developments in the region, including strikes on Cyprus and NATO intercepting a missile over Turkey as Iran responds to attacks carried out by the United States and Israel.
“Given what happened in Turkey and what happened in Cyprus, I have instructed the Defence Chief of Staff to raise the level of national air and anti-ballistic defence to the maximum, in coordination with our allies and with NATO,” Crosetto told the Lower House while reporting on the crisis.
“In the face of a reckless reaction, we can expect anything, and anything can be expected,” he said.
Crosetto also confirmed that Italy would provide air-defence systems to Gulf states targeted by Iran’s retaliation and would assist Cyprus together with Spain. Around 250 Italian troops stationed in the region are also being moved to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile Meloni said Italy had not received any requests from Washington to use American bases on Italian territory for attacks against Iran.
“We have no requests in this regard and I want to say that we are not at war and we do not want to enter into war,” Meloni said in an interview with RTL 102.5 radio.
She said Italy would respect existing bilateral agreements governing US military bases if any request were made.
Under agreements dating back to 1954, the United States has access to three military bases in Italy. Meloni said authorisations can be granted for logistical or so-called “non-kinetic” operations, meaning activities not involving bombing.
If a request were made for broader military use, she said, the government would need to decide whether to grant it and the issue should be considered together with Parliament.
