NATO chief says US flew 5,000 sorties from bases in Europe during operation against Iran

LONDON, July 1. /TASS/. Around 5,000 US aircraft took off from European airbases as part of a military operation against Iran, confirming that Europe remains a key military ally of Washington, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Financial Times.

"When you look at the overall picture, you see European countries doing what they promised," he said, citing some 5,000 US flights in support of the war from European bases, the newspaper wrote. "Europe again is one big platform of power projection for the United States," Rutte added.

"What I sense generally in the US is disappointment when it comes to what I would say are isolated cases where Europeans did not always fulfil what was bilaterally agreed," he noted. "I’m not saying these isolated cases, reason for disappointment, are not there, but the general picture is very positive," the official said.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, came under attack. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (an elite branch of the Iranian armed forces) announced a large-scale retaliatory operation, launching attacks against Israel. US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also targeted.

In mid-June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. On June 21-22, talks between the US and Iran regarding the implementation of the memorandum took place at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock, mediated by Doha and Islamabad. As noted in a joint statement by Pakistan and Qatar following the first round of negotiations, the meeting attended by representatives from Iran and the US was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere; encouraging progress was achieved, including the establishment of a foundation for further technical consultations.