TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday publicly backed new U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them "absolutely necessary" and accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire.
On Tuesday, July 7, the U.S. military reported attacks on more than 80 targets in Iran.
Washington said the operation was in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, in turn, accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire.
"I think what you did last night was absolutely necessary, because when there is a ceasefire and Iran basically violates the ceasefire... I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully reacts," Rutte told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, as quoted by ANTARA.
The Secretary-General said allies also intend to reaffirm at the summit that Iran "must never attain a nuclear capability." NATO leaders are also expected to once again call for the restoration of full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Also at the NATO summit in Ankara, Rutte appeared to misspoke when he claimed Iran should be prevented from accessing the Arctic. He later corrected himself, saying he was referring to Russia and China.
In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that NATO was expanding its militarization program in the Arctic and turning the region into a conflict zone.
Read: NATO Chief Boasts European Spending Ahead of Key Summit
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