U.S. bases in Italy 'essential to support war efforts' as Iran crisis deepens, historian says

Record ID: 2364570

  • Title: U.S. bases in Italy 'essential to support war efforts' as Iran crisis deepens, historian says
  • Date: 9th March 2026
  • Summary: ATANIA, ITALY (MARCH 6, 2026) (REUTERS)  ENTRANCE OF U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA U.S FLAG WAVING BARBED WIRE  VARIOUS OF SOLDIER STANDING AT ENTRANCE OF U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA VARIOUS OF VIEWS OF SIGONELLA AIR STATION PLANE FLYING ROME, ITALY (MARCH 9, 2026) (REUTERS)  (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILITARY HISTORIAN, JOURNALIST AND PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND POLITICS
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: EUROPE IRAN ITALY MIDDLE EAST NATO SIGONELLA US
  • Location: ROME AND CATANIA, ITALY
  • City: ROME AND CATANIA, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA002220009032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Logistical bases will become essential to the war effort, and a weapon in themselves, if the conflict lasts for many weeks, military historian Gregory Alegi said on Monday (March 9), as activity at the U.S. Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily continued amid heightened tensions across the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
    Sigonella, home to the U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft, is one of the most strategically positioned American bases in Europe and has long held a central role in the Mediterranean.
    European states have been largely sidelined as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has escalated, hitting Gulf Arab states and dragging Lebanon into the line of fire after Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel.
    But with shipping lanes in the Middle East impacted and the price of oil heading well above $100 a barrel, European powers are grappling with the issue of how to defend their interests.
    Alegi, a professor of history and politics of the U.S. at Rome’s Luiss University, said the network of U.S. bases across Europe, built during the Cold War to counter the Soviet Union, has largely remained in place due to longstanding defence agreements, but has become more complicated since the end of the Cold War.
    "Today, the bases are perceived often more as U.S. imperialism than U.S. security," Alegi said, adding that tensions between Washington and European allies in recent years have made public acceptance harder.
    "The U.S. extends its security blanket to the host country, which is willing to accept certain limitations in order to feel safer. When this balance started to change … the trade-off became less interesting."
    (Production: Danilo Arnone, Antonio Denti, Roberto Mignucci, Oriana Boselli, Matteo Negri)
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