NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Euronews on Wednesday that European nations lack the independent military power to disrupt Iran's nuclear development, making recent strikes by the United States essential. He stated that only the US had the capability to neutralize a threat that endangered both Israel and the NATO headquarters in Brussels. While Rutte admitted the conflict had brought downsides, he argued that the benefit of removing Iran's nuclear capacity outweighed the associated costs.

Rutte called for Europe to build its own independent strike capabilities to conduct similar operations, predicting the bloc could achieve this goal within 10 years. He further urged European states to assume primary responsibility for security in the Red Sea to reduce reliance on American forces currently countering Houthi militants.