"Absolutely necessary": NATO Chief backs US strikes on Iran

Ankara [Turkiye], July 8 (ANI): NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday defended the recent US military strikes on Iran, calling them "absolutely necessary" after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Delivering his doorstep statement ahead of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Rutte said that the US strikes were in relation to Iran's violation of the ceasefire as part of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran to end the hostilities in West Asia.
"I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire, Iran is basically violating the ceasefire. We've seen what happened yesterday with ships being attacked. I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," the NATO chief said.
This comes after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had carried out a fresh round of offensive strikes against Iran on July 7, targeting more than 80 sites in response to Tehran's latest attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a statement by CENTCOM, the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats operating in and around the strategic waterway.
The attacks came as retaliatory strikes against Iran, which had recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz - the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
"The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation," CENTCOM said in the statement.
"CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," the statement added.
In retaliation for the US attacks, Tehran launched drone and missile strikes against US-linked military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Iran's state-affiliated Fars News Agency.
Citing the Iranian Army Public Relations, Fars reported that Iranian army drones targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain early Wednesday morning.
The IRGC further stated that it had carried out a large-scale joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 key US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
According to Fars News Agency, the IRGC said, "IRGC Navy and Aerospace Forces, during a joint missile and drone operation, pounded 85 key US military facilities in Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait."
In a separate statement carried by Fars News Agency, an IRGC spokesperson claimed that Iranian air defences had shot down an American MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province.
Meanwhile, Rutte also said Iran's nuclear programme would be a key topic of discussion during the alliance's main session later in the day.
"I expect allies today to reconfirm that Iran should never ever get its hands on a nuclear capability," he added.
The 2026 NATO Summit is being held in Ankara, Turkiye, from July 7 to July 8, with leaders focusing on three key priorities: increasing defence investment, strengthening the defence industry, and sustaining support for Ukraine.
Discussions are centred on advancing NATO's 5 per cent defence spending goal, expanding defence production and industrial cooperation, and ensuring continued long-term military assistance to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia. (ANI)