The new attacks by the U.S. on Iran were "absolutely necessary," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers the keynote speech at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, on the sidelines of the NATO leaders' Summit, in Ankara, Turkey, July 7, 2026. Reuters/Yves Herman
The new attacks by the U.S. on Iran were "absolutely necessary," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.
The U.S. military unleashed 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 pressure on an already fragile ceasefire.
"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react," Rutte told reporters before a summit of NATO leaders in Ankara.
At their summit, European leaders aim to convince Donald Trump to re-commit to the military alliance, after the U.S. president revived his disputes with them over the Iran war and Greenland.
Rutte said there could be no doubt over the "complete commitment of the United States to NATO," which he said also works to protect the United States.
"But there's also the expectation that the Europeans and the Canadians will equalise their spending with the United States, which I think is completely fair," he added.
"The good news is that this is the big win today. It's the loss for Putin, it is a win for President Trump that the Europeans and the Canadians are doing exactly that."
Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray
Oman has delivered a proposal to Iran envisaging regional management of the Strait of Hormuz and only voluntary fees for transit rather than Tehran's vision of maintaining control of the waterway and charging for its use.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there have been good talks with Iran even as he reiterated his threats to target Pickaxe Mountain as well as bridges and power plants if a deal is not made with Tehran.
Oman has presented a proposal to Iran for joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz with shipping firms paying voluntary fees, a Gulf source told Reuters on Tuesday.
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