Iran, Rutte: “NATO is not involved, but I assure you that it will defend every inch”

Brussels – There is support among European allies for the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran—so much so that several of them are providing some form of support—and NATO, although not involved in the operations, will be ready to defend every inch of the Atlantic Alliance countries. So says Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, today (3 March) during his visit to Skopje, North Macedonia, to celebrate the Balkan country’s contribution to collective security. “
 I feel widespread support in Europe. I was on the phone with many leaders over the weekend and also early this week,” Rutte said, speaking to the press alongside Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. Not only that: “I clearly sensed that the removal of nuclear capability, the removal of ballistic missile capability,
and also Khamenei gone, this is applauded by many of my colleagues in NATO,” he noted. In particular, “I think we are all better off with
the fact that Khamenei is now gone,”

​ given that “he has been responsible, this year alone, for the deaths of thousands of people, potentially tens of thousands of deaths since people began protesting against the regime in January” – and “with Iran’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities weakened and degraded.” 

The former Dutch prime minister then sought to dispel any doubts by stating that the Alliance “is not involved” in military operations. But “I can assure you that NATO will defend every inch of its territory,” he emphasised. Meanwhile, regarding  Spain’s refusal to support the campaign against Tehran, the Secretary General clarified that “many Allies are providing key enabling support. That’s not being part of the campaign, but when it comes to access, logistics, for example, the Spanish Patriot System in Turkey.” Rutte is concerned about the nuclear threat. “Let’s be absolutely clear-eyed to what’s happening here. Iran is close to getting its hands on a nuclear capability and on a ballistic missile capability, which is posing a threat not only to the region, the Middle East, including posing an existential threat to Israel, it is also posing a huge threat to us here in Europe,” he said. “We also know that Iran, as an exporter of chaos, has been responsible, over decades now, for terrorist attacks, assassination attempts. I can tell you from my own experience in my own country, where members of the Iranian diaspora have been under threat from the Iranian regime. And I’m talking about the regime here, not about Iranian people. The problem is with the regime,” Rutte pointed out. 

Finally, the global situation has given Rutte the opportunity to raise the issue of increasing defence spending and the Alliance’s goal of bringing military spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035. “This is not the time to rest on our laurels. All allies must do more: increasing defence investment and boosting production is essential to achieving our agreed capability goals and to fully funding NATO’s activities and missions. The result is greater security, greater economic growth, and more jobs,” he concluded.