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During a visit to Washington on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met US President Donald Trump, offering warm words while gently pushing back on his latest criticism of the alliance.
Trump reiterated grievances with NATO over its failure to back the US-Israeli war against Iran, saying he had been “let down”.
The United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran on 28 February. Trump did not consult NATO ahead of time, and key European allies have voiced scepticism over the need for the war.
Trump called on allies to “just be loyal”, adding: “We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything. We have the most powerful military in the world by far. But I just want loyalty.”
Rutte pushed back gently, saying: “I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking, your European allies have been there with you.”
He also noted that 4,000 to 5,000 US planes had taken off from bases in Europe before Iran and the US agreed on a ceasefire.
Tehran accuses NATO of ‘complicity’
Rutte’s comments sparked immediate condemnation from Tehran, which accused NATO of “complicity” in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Speaking to Fox News following his meeting with Trump, Rutte said: “Country after country, ally after ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury.”
“Five hundred US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury,” he added, referring to the US operational name for the strikes against Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned what he called NATO’s “active complicity” in an “unlawful war”, writing on X: “This is a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign UN member state.”
He accused NATO of “a flagrant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN Charter.”
Italy was quick to distance itself from Rutte’s remarks. Its defence ministry said they conveyed “a completely misleading message by confusing the type of flights that were authorised”, adding that Rome had permitted only “technical and logistical” US flights during Epic Fury under existing bilateral agreements.
Trump’s latest criticism of NATO comes just two weeks before leaders from all 32 member states are due to meet at the alliance’s July 7-8 summit in Ankara.
His second term has been marked by repeated tensions with allies, including threats to annex Greenland, from which he backed down in January, as Washington pushes Europe to take primary responsibility for its own conventional defence while US strategic focus shifts to China.
The Pentagon has already told allies it is reducing assets available for NATO operations worldwide, sparking fears of vulnerability on a continent that still relies on Washington for key military capabilities and where Russia’s posture remains a source of acute concern.
Additional sources • AFP, AP