NATO chief says Trump's overnight Iran strikes were 'absolutely necessary'

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday defended US President Donald Trump's overnight strikes on Iran, calling them "absolutely necessary" during a joint appearance at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Speaking alongside Trump, Rutte said the US operation degraded Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and described it as "a very strong response."

"I think what you did last night was absolutely necessary," Rutte said, adding that the strikes were crucial for "Israel, the region, Europe" and the wider world.

During the talk, Trump told reporters he believed the Iran ceasefire was "over" following the overnight attacks.

"We hit them very hard last night," Trump said. "I told them that every time you hit, we hit." He added that the strikes are "denuclearization of Iran" and that the US is "going to denuke it."

The remarks came after overnight US strikes on southern Iran, which were followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks that Tehran said targeted US military facilities in the Gulf.

Rutte also praised Trump for pressing NATO allies to increase defense spending, saying the US president had secured "a huge win" for the alliance by encouraging European members and Canada to invest hundreds of billions of dollars more in defense.

"When it comes to NATO, what you've achieved ... is a huge win," he said.

Rutte acknowledged there still were differences among allies over defense spending but said countries had made significant progress, citing Spain's increase in military spending to NATO's current 2% benchmark.

Trump, meanwhile, criticized some allies for not doing enough to support the US in its war against Iran, and announced he instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off trade with Spain, calling it "a terrible partner" in the 32-member defense alliance.

NATO leaders are holding the second day of their summit in Ankara, with defense spending, strengthening the alliance's deterrence and defense posture, and continued support for Ukraine topping the agenda.