"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he felt that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran was nullified following overnight strikes between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. "To me, I think it's over," he said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in comments to the press. Trump also stated he felt the US had "wasted a lot of time" negotiating with Iran, and he did not wish to continue talks. "I don't want to deal with them [Iran] anymore. They're scum. They're sick people." "I'm with you [on Iran]," responded NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Earlier, Rutte had insisted the US strikes were "absolutely necessary," noting that Iran had violated the ceasefire, which was signed three weeks ago. "When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters. On Tuesday night, US forces began "a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) confirmed it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the US strikes in southern Iran that targeted air defense systems, coastal surveillance, and missile and drone launch sites. When asked about the strikes, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stressed the importance of showing Iran that breaches of the "fragile" ceasefire in the Middle East will not be accepted. "At the same time, you must apply maximum diplomatic pressure to make sure talks continue, and a solution is reached," he said. (Read More)
