NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte celebrates president's extraordinary action that 'makes us all safer'
NATO is 'thrilled' with Trump's strike on Iran, says international relations expert
National security and military analyst Dr. Rebecca Grant reacts to President Donald Trump's meeting with the NATO secretary general.
President Donald Trump was hailed at the 2025 NATO Summit after the U.S. struck Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump as a "man of strength" and a "man of peace."
"I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran," Rutte said at the start of his joint remarks with the president. "You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran— I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world."
President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
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While en route to the Netherlands for the summit, Trump shared several texts from Rutte in which the NATO leader expressed his support for the president’s move against Iran.
"Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer," Rutte wrote in the texts that Trump shared on Truth Social.
Map of US strikes on Iran. (Fox News)
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Rutte also praised Trump’s effort to get NATO members to pay more and said the president was "flying into another big success" after all countries—except Spain—agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. He added that Trump achieved something "NO American president in decades could get done."
Leaders of NATO member states had mixed reactions to the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, with several calling for de-escalation while acknowledging the threat a nuclear Iran would pose to global security.
Leaders of NATO member states had mixed reactions to the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities. (REUTERS/Claudia Greco)
"Iran’s nuclear program is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X. "The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis."
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a similar statement, adding: "As G7 leaders agreed in Kananaskis, the resolution of the Iranian crisis should lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza."
Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
