Rutte again acknowledges NATO's cooperation with U.S. in attack on Iran

Pars Today – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has once again acknowledged the alliance's role in supporting the U.S. military operation against Iran, saying that the United States would not have been able to carry out the operation without NATO.

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB News Agency, Rutte told Sky News that the United States remains fully committed to NATO because membership in the alliance serves Washington's broad and direct strategic interests.

To illustrate NATO's importance to the United States, Rutte referred to the U.S. military operation against Iran, stating:

"Look at Iran. Between 4,000 and 5,000 sorties were flown from European bases as part of Operation Epic Fury. The United States could not have carried out this operation without Europe serving as a major power-projection platform."

Rutte added that the U.S. presence in NATO is not solely intended to protect Europe, but also serves Washington's own security and military interests.

He further said that thousands of flights were conducted from bases located in the United Kingdom, France, and other European countries, and that these countries implemented their bilateral agreements with the United States regarding the use of military bases and facilities.

The NATO Secretary General had previously made similar remarks in an interview, acknowledging that member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had made their military bases available to the United States for the operation against Iran.

These remarks come despite repeated claims by several European countries that they played no role in the U.S. military operation against Iran.