Mark Rutte asserted that NATO members provide broad support for US President Donald Trump’s campaign aimed at eliminating Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. This support persists despite public criticism from certain European leaders regarding the operation.
Rutte stated that while NATO is not directly participating in the operation, it is evident that allies strongly support Trump’s actions and are enabling the United States to carry out its current activities in the region, specifically aimed at neutralizing Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
He added that European allies harbor profound security concerns regarding Tehran, citing the threats and assassination attempts associated with the Iranian regime. He noted that Europe recognizes Iran’s potential negative impact, pointing to assassination attempts within various NATO countries in Europe and the Iranian diaspora abroad. He added that even his own country faces a constant threat from the regime in Tehran.
Despite criticism from leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Rutte affirmed that NATO nations are providing essential enabling support to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. He also confirmed that NATO forces remain on high alert to defend alliance territory amid escalating regional tensions.
“Our current actions in NATO are ensuring the comprehensive protection of every inch of alliance territory,” he stated. He highlighted the incident where a missile was launched from Iran toward Turkey, a NATO member and part of the alliance’s collective defense system.
“You witnessed this morning reports of a missile heading toward Turkey, which could have impacted American interests in the country. It was intercepted by NATO missile defense systems. Therefore, this system is effective, and we remain ready,” he explained.
Rutte also addressed questions regarding Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which stipulates that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.
“For valid reasons, we will remain extremely vague regarding the activation of Article 5,” he said. “We are keeping it secret because we do not want our enemies to know.” He added that if Article 5 were to be activated, the alliance would announce it immediately.
Until that point, Rutte stated that this ambiguity is intentional and aims to force the adversary to carefully consider the risks of attacking NATO interests.
“Our ultimate leadership lies with the allies and our senior military commanders, as well as all our men and women in the armed forces. We guarantee our ability to defend every inch of NATO territory and will certainly defend it,” he said.
“At the same time, we stand with our friends and partners in the Middle East, as we witness these random attacks on the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other regional countries. We fully support them. I maintain constant communication with them to ensure we do everything possible for their safety,” he concluded.
