Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has doubled down on her government's refusal to let the United States use Italian bases for military operations in the war against Iran, despite being singled out for sharp criticism by President Donald Trump at the NATO Summit. Meloni stated that Italy has had a "very clear line since the beginning of the conflict" and is maintaining it, confirming that Italy is not participating and will not participate in attacks against Iran. In March, Rome reportedly denied a request from the U.S. military to land an aircraft at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily. Trump lambasted allied nations that rebuffed U.S. requests related to the Iran war, including Italy, Germany, and France, questioning why the U.S. spends hundreds of billions of dollars on NATO if allies are not there for them. Meloni, who previously appeared to have a close personal relationship with Trump, played down the dust-up, stating she does not regret her political investment in the unity of the West and that she has pursued this strategy with all of her counterparts, not just Trump.
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