The new US strikes on Iran were “absolutely necessary,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.
The US military launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a license allowing Tehran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, putting further pressure on an already fragile ceasefire.
US strikes in Iran
(Video: CENTCOM)
“When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully reacts,” Rutte told reporters ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara.
At the summit, European leaders are seeking to persuade US President Donald Trump to reaffirm his commitment to the military alliance, after tensions resurfaced over the Iran war and Greenland.
Rutte said there was no doubt about the “complete commitment of the United States to NATO,” adding that the alliance also helps protect the US.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
(Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse)
“But there is also the expectation that the Europeans and Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States, which I think is completely fair,” he said.
“The good news is that this is the big win today. It is a loss for Putin, and it is a win for President Trump that the Europeans and Canadians are doing exactly that.”