NATO Chief: "22 Countries, Including South Korea and Japan, Unite to Reopen Strait of Hormuz" (Comprehensive) [US-Iran War]

Marc Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stated that NATO member countries, as well as allied nations such as South Korea and Japan, will unite to resume navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded due to the war with Iran.

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

On the 22nd (local time), Secretary General Rutte said in an interview with Fox News in the United States, "Since the 19th, a group of 22 countries—including NATO member states, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain—have been gathering to realize U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of reopening the Strait of Hormuz as freely and as soon as possible."

He said, "Currently, this group of 22 countries is working with the United States to plan military and other personnel deployments. We are determining what is needed, when it is needed, and how to carry it out together. As soon as the time is right, we will proceed to ensure the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee freedom of navigation."

According to major foreign media outlets, Secretary General Rutte said in his interview with the U.S. press that "more than 20 NATO member countries are coming together to realize President Trump's vision of resuming passage through the Strait of Hormuz."

He added, "I have spoken with President Trump several times recently," and claimed, "The United States has taken military action against Iran because Iran's nuclear and missile programs pose an existential threat to the world." He further argued, "If the United States had not broken off nuclear negotiations with Iran and carried out a preemptive strike, we could have ended up in a situation similar to that with North Korea."

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, he stated, "He is doing this to make the world a safer place." Responding to President Trump's criticism that NATO's response to the Iran war has been passive, Rutte said, "I understand the president's frustration with the time it is taking, but I ask for understanding because each country had to prepare without being aware of (the attack on Iran)."

He remarked, "We saw from the case of North Korea that if negotiations drag on for too long, we may miss the window for a resolution, and now North Korea possesses nuclear capabilities."

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

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