{"id":2968,"date":"2026-06-25T23:12:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2968"},"modified":"2026-06-25T23:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:12:13","slug":"nato-boss-backs-trumps-iran-operation-after-european-leaders-balked-i-commend-the-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2968","title":{"rendered":"NATO boss backs Trump\u2019s Iran operation after European leaders balked: \u2018I commend the president\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte threw his support behind President Trump\u2019s military campaign against Iran Thursday, praising the operation even as some European leaders have sought to distance themselves from the strikes.<\/p>\n

Read more Iranian dissidents warn Trump of handing regime a \u2018victory it could never win on the battlefield\u2019 in peace talks<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the US did is crucial,\u201d Rutte told reporters in a roundtable interview. \u201cI commend the president for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NATO chief said both last year\u2019s Midnight Hammer nuclear facility bombing campaign and the recent war operations \u2014 dubbed \u201cOperation Epic Fury\u201d \u2014 played a key role in degrading Tehran\u2019s nuclear capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole operation, Epic Fury, and the bombing last year is all part of degrading the nuclear capability,\u201d Rutte said. \u201cWhich is crucial for Europe; crucial for, of course, the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remarks put Rutte at odds with several European politicians who have criticized Trump\u2019s approach toward Iran or sought to publicly distance themselves from the operation \u2014 with some countries denying the US access to its military bases during the war.<\/p>\n

Follow The Post\u2019s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez in March blasted the US-led operation as \u201cillegal, reckless and unjust\u201d and warned that the West could not \u201cplay Russian roulette with the destiny of millions of people.\u201d <\/p>\n

Spain saw the majority of Trump\u2019s ire over a lack of NATO support for the war, with Madrid barring US war-related flights from Spanish airspace in addition to being one of the several countries that refused to allow American forces to use jointly operated military bases for the campaign.<\/p>\n

Still, Rutte argued Europe helped in other ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore generally speaking, Europe functioned as the power projection platform of the US,\u201d he said, citing thousands of US military sorties launched from European bases.<\/p>\n

Rutte also credited Trump with forcing European nations to finally boost defense spending after years of lagging behind Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say largely thanks to this president,\u201d Rutte said. \u201cI credit him for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NATO chief also offered another notable assessment when discussing Trump\u2019s evolving relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom the president called \u201ccourageous\u201d in remarks a day earlier.<\/p>\n

Rutte suggested Trump\u2019s warmer comments about Zelensky during their meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday reflected growing recognition of Ukraine\u2019s recent battlefield successes against Russia.<\/p>\n

Read more Dems erupt in fury after Supreme Court hands Trump victories in two immigration cases \u2014 call to expand bench: \u2018White supremacist agenda\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what the president also acknowledged \u2026 is that the Ukrainians are doing quite well,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n

He pointed to successful Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries and military targets deep inside Russian territory, while arguing Moscow\u2019s losses continue to mount to roughly 35,000 troops per month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russians are losing now what the Soviets lost in 10 years in Afghanistan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rutte said Ukraine\u2019s military has effectively stalled Russia\u2019s advance and may even be regaining territory in some areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russians stopped making big advances,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s even some talk of the Ukrainians getting back some of the territory from the Russians.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, he stressed that Kyiv remains heavily dependent on Western air defense systems, particularly Patriot batteries and missile interceptors, which are supplied by the US but paid for by European partners.<\/p>\n

Despite more than a year of US-led diplomatic efforts, Rutte said Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown little genuine interest in ending the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is that Putin is not playing ball,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only one willing to sit down is Zelensky. Zelensky is willing to sit down with Putin, sit down with anyone to get to a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPutin is not serious so far, because he\u2019s only repeating his maximalist demands,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Rutte rejected suggestions that the Trump administration had shifted attention away from Ukraine because of the Iran conflict, arguing senior US officials remain deeply involved in efforts to broker a settlement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president himself, but also [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and [Special Envoy Steve] Witkoff and [Jared] Kushner\u201d remain engaged, he said.<\/p>\n

Rutte suggested that any lack of progress is because of Moscow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a lack of focus [on the Ukraine war,]\u201d he said. \u201cIt is absolutely part of the fact that the Russians are not really involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Homeowner-bashing Darializa Avila Chevalier\u2019s father is a landlord \u2014 and rents his Miami condo for $1,750\/month<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The remarks put Rutte at odds with several European politicians who have criticized Trump\u2019s approach toward Iran or sought to publicly distance themselves…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNATO boss backs Trump\u2019s Iran operation after European leaders balked: \u2018I commend the president\u2019 - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2968\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NATO boss backs Trump\u2019s Iran operation after European leaders balked: \u2018I commend the president\u2019 - 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