NATO Chief: "Member States Unite to Reopen Strait of Hormuz"

"Negotiations Took Too Long,
North Korea Acquired Nuclear Capabilities"

Marc Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stated that NATO member states will convene to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked due to the war with Iran.

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

According to major foreign media outlets such as the Associated Press, Secretary General Rutte said in an interview with American media on the 22nd (local time), "More than 20 NATO member states are gathering to realize President Trump's vision of reopening navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

He added, "I have spoken with President Trump several times recently" and explained, "The United States took military action against Iran because Iran's nuclear and missile programs pose an existential threat to the world." He also argued, "If the United States had not broken off the nuclear negotiations with Iran and launched a preemptive strike, we would have faced a situation similar to North Korea."

In another interview that day, Secretary General Rutte also said, "What I know is that NATO member states always come together."

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, he commented, "He is doing this to make the world safer." Responding to President Trump's criticism that NATO's response to the war with Iran has been passive, he said, "I understand the President's frustration with the time it takes, but I ask for an understanding that each country had to prepare without knowing in advance about the (Iran) attack."

He said, "We saw in the case of North Korea that if negotiations drag on too long, we may miss the opportunity to resolve the issue, and North Korea has now acquired nuclear capabilities."

On March 20, President Trump said, "Without the United States, NATO is a paper tiger," and criticized, "They did not want to join the fight to stop a nuclear-armed Iran." He also pointed out that NATO's participation in the Strait of Hormuz operation would be "very easy for them with almost no risk. Cowards," adding, "And we will remember."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.