THE HAGUE: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that Tehran should not be allowed to have a nuclear bomb, as Israel and Iran exchanged fresh strikes on Monday.
He said his “greatest fear” was that Tehran had a nuclear weapon which would give it a “stranglehold” on Israel and the rest of the world.
“When it comes to NATO’s stance on Iran’s nuclear programme, allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon,” said Rutte ahead of a NATO summit in The Hague.
He dismissed suggestions that the war in the Middle East would deflect attention from the summit of the 32 NATO leaders starting on Tuesday. Rutte also noted that Iran was “heavily involved” in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Iranian drones are killing innocent Ukrainians every day in cities, in communities without any respect for life,” said Rutte.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said US warplanes had used “bunker buster” bombs that had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Other officials said it was too soon to assess the true impact on Iran’s nuclear programme, which Israel and some Western states consider an existential threat.
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