NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday (26) that the United States did not inform other alliance countries in advance about the war in Iran, which began with American and Israeli attacks against the Tehran regime on February 28, because there was a risk of information leaking.
“The United States, for important reasons, could not inform its allies about what was going to happen three and a half weeks ago, on Saturday, because that could have led to a leak or something similar,” said the former Dutch prime minister, at a press conference in Brussels to present NATO’s 2025 annual report.
“This risk [de vazamentos] always exists when the US has the opportunity to eliminate Iranian leaders. So, I understand perfectly. I’m not criticizing, but this means that Europe takes time to reach an agreement, and that carries a risk”, he explained.
This Thursday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, once again criticized American allies in NATO for not helping Washington in the war against Iran, saying that “they did absolutely nothing”.
Today, Rutte highlighted that, following the announcement by the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands that they intend to help free the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage closed almost entirely by Iran in recent weeks, “more than 30 countries have already committed to meeting to discuss the details — what, where and when — in order to ensure that sea routes remain open.”
“And this responds precisely to President Trump’s request and, more generally, to the situation in the Middle East,” he said.
Rutte’s position, of “perfectly understanding” the lack of advance information regarding the war, contrasts with that of France, whose Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, made complaints about the matter on Tuesday (24), during a security and defense forum in Paris.
“We were surprised by an American ally, which remains an ally, but which is becoming increasingly unpredictable and does not even bother to inform us when it decides to launch military operations,” said the commander. “This has an impact on our security and our interests.”
