NATO should adapt to new global realities: Italian defense minister

ATHENS

NATO should adapt to new global realities, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Friday.

“If NATO was born to guarantee peace and mutual defense, either it becomes an organization that takes on this task by talking to the Global South or we will not reach the goal of having security within rules that apply to everyone,” said Crosetto, according to the ANSA news agency.

“The US and the EU are no longer the center of the world, “he added.

Commenting on the use of the US bases on Italian soil should Washington decide to get involved in the armed escalation between Iran and Israel, Crosetto argued that no request has been made by the US to Italian authorities.

“It is useless to talk about something that does not exist, but every time (Italian) Parliament asks us to go and report, we go, it is an obligation,” he said.

Hostilities broke out last Friday when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.

The death toll in Iran has risen to at least 639, while more than 1,300 are wounded, according to reports.