Italy denies use of Sicily airbase to US planes carrying weapons for Iran war

Defence ministry says US failed to request authorisation in time for parliament to give approval as required by international treaty

Italy has denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US military planes carrying weapons for the war in Iran after the US did not follow the required authorisation procedure.

A source at the Italian defence ministry confirmed a report in Corriere della Sera that “some US bombers” had been due to land at Sigonella – one of seven US navy bases in Italy – before heading to the Middle East, but that use of the base had been denied because the US sought authorisation to land only while the aircraft were already en route to Sicily.

The source said this meant there was not enough time to seek approval in parliament, as is required for aircraft landing on naval bases with weapons.

According to treaties established in the late 1950s, the US navy bases can be used for logistical and training purposes but not as transit hubs for aircraft used to transport weapons for war unless in an emergency situation.

The office of Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, issued a statement on Tuesday denying that the move – which comes a day after Spain ramped up its opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran by closing its airspace to US aircraft involved in attacks – had caused “critical issues or frictions” with international partners, and said relations with the US were “solid and based on full and loyal cooperation”.

In another sign of rising tensions between the US and some European countries, Donald Trump criticised France on Tuesday because it “wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory”, writing on his Truth Social account that the country had been “VERY UNHELPFUL”.

Regarding the use of its military bases, the statement from Meloni’s office said Italy was “acting in full compliance with existing international agreements” and parliamentary procedures and that each request was “carefully examined on a case-by-case basis, as has always been the case in the past”.

In Italy, where there is a deep-rooted anti-war culture, opinion polls consistently show very strong opposition to the conflict and strong dislike towards Trump. The unpopularity of Trump in Italy has also started to erode the popularity of Meloni, who is ideologically in tune with the US president and has established good working relations with him.

Opposition parties have for weeks been urging the government to block the US from using Italy’s bases for involvement in the Middle East conflict.

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, said Italy had “a duty” to deny the US bombers access to Sigonella and now needed to “take a further step” and deny the logistical support offered at all the country’s bases since the US-Israeli conflict in Iran was being carried out “in clear violation of international law”.

Earlier this month, Meloni strongly criticised the US-Israeli military strikes, telling parliament that it was part of a growing and dangerous trend of interventions “outside the scope of international law”.

At the same time, she said “we cannot afford a regime of ayatollahs in possession of nuclear weapons combined with a missile capacity” that could threaten Italy and Europe. Meloni has said several times that Italy would not enter the war, although the country has provided defensive assets to Gulf countries.

Anger in Sicily has been swirling for weeks owing to increased activity at the Sigonella base since the start of the conflict, and especially after the US navy shared a photo on its Instagram account earlier this month showing a US military helicopter landing at the Unesco-listed Madonie natural park close to Palermo during a training exercise.

“Sicily does not want and will not contribute to any war,” said Nuccio Di Paola, a Five Star Movement politician in Sicily. “Sicily is a land of peace and must remain so … we cannot allow Sicilians to be put at risk because of our country’s subservience to other countries.”