Dutch Minister Calls Iran Crisis a Wake-Up Call on NATO Spending
(Bloomberg) — US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Russia’s continued war in Ukraine should act as a wake-up call for NATO to boost defense spending, the Dutch defense minister said.
They show “how our security is at stake and in what an unstable environment and the unstable world we live in,” Ruben Brekelmans, 38, said in an interview in The Hague on Monday. “What we are working on is strengthening our collective defense and deterrence.”
The US directly entered Israel’s war with Tehran over the weekend by bombing nuclear sites in Iran despite President Donald Trump’s longtime promises to avoid new conflicts abroad.
The strikes came just days before the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gather for a summit on Tuesday. They are set to sign off on raising their defense spending to 5% of GDP to prepare for a growing threat from Russia.
Trump warned of “far greater” attacks unless the Islamic Republic agreed to make peace, raising the prospect of deeper US involvement in a Middle East war sparked by Israeli strikes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is threating to retaliate against the US.
Brekelmans, who marks his first year in office next week, said that the Middle East turmoil “makes people even more committed and more focused to make sure that we make the right decisions” at the summit.
Yet the lead-up to the meeting has been marred by diplomatic wrangling with Spain over its refusal to sign up to 5% goal. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country will meet the alliance’s ambitious new weapons and troop targets, but without committing to the price tag demanded by Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte cast doubt over those claims on Monday.
Brekelmans also appeared doubtful. “If Spain thinks that they can do it much cheaper than the Netherlands or other countries can do that — okay, that’s not something that they can show,” he said.
“They are like literally quite far away from Russia,” the minister said. “So they do feel the threat not as near as others do.”
–With assistance from Oliver Crook.
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