New US strikes on Iran were "necessary", NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
The US military has launched a new series of strikes against Iran. The US also revoked a waiver allowing Tehran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, increasing pressure on an already fragile ceasefire.
"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is actually violating the ceasefire, I think it is really crucial that the US reacts decisively", Rutte told reporters ahead of a NATO leaders' meeting in Ankara.
At the alliance's meeting in Turkey, European leaders are trying to persuade Donald Trump to reaffirm his commitment to the military alliance after the US president renewed his arguments with them over war with Iran and Greenland.
Rutte said there could be no doubt about "the United States' full commitment to NATO", which he said also helps defend the US.
"However, there is also an expectation that Europeans and Canadians will "They are going to match their spending with the United States, which I think is absolutely fair," he added. "The good news is that this is the big win today. The fact that the Europeans and the Canadians are doing exactly that is a loss for Putin and a win for President Trump," he added.