NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday, March 5, praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to launch strikes on Iran but rejected any suggestion the NATO alliance would participate in the conflict.
“We support the president in taking out that capability,” Rutte said, referring to the US military objective to eradicate the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile program. “We have to be sure going forward that Iran, this republic, is not able again to pose a death threat to its neighbors; to Israel, the Middle East, to Europe,” he added in a video interview.
Speaking the day after Turkey said NATO air defense systems shot down an Iranian missile that was traveling towards its airspace, Rutte condemned the “serious” incident, in which Iran denied any involvement. He described the successful interception as evidence of a “360-degree approach” to defending NATO territory.
Rutte rebuffed, however, any notion that NATO was actively involved in the conflict but emphasized that the alliance is essential to the effectiveness of the US in its campaign.
“NATO is not itself involved here,” he asserted, “NATO allies are providing key enabling support … NATO, in that sense, is also this power projection platform for the United States because without European allies, the US would have found it very difficult.”
The secretary-general defended his backing for Trump when challenged by Reuters journalist Andrew Gray, explaining: “This decisive action to take out this capability of Iran … as an exporter of terrorism and chaos … I think if the president of a country is providing that type of leadership, some praise is warranted
