Amir Hamidi, an Iranian-American expert on national security and international terrorism and a former official within U.S. Department of Justice structures, said the NATO secretary general’s support for U.S. actions against Iran at this particular moment is linked to the shift in the balance of power after the war.
According to him, during the fighting, many European countries tried to prevent the conflict from expanding and therefore adopted a more cautious position. Now, however, with the balance of power shifting in favor of the United States and the Islamic Republic coming under serious military and political pressure, NATO can state its position much more openly.
Hamidi noted that Mark Rutte’s remarks show that NATO’s concerns are not limited to Iran’s nuclear program. Rather, they reflect a broader assessment of the Islamic Republic’s conduct over the past four decades — from exporting terrorism and supporting proxy forces to developing ballistic missiles and destabilizing the region.
“These remarks effectively confirm that the actions of the United States were not merely a military operation, but part of a deterrence strategy aimed at preventing the regime of the mullahs from becoming a nuclear power,” Hamidi said.
In his view, NATO’s current position indicates that a shared understanding has now emerged between the United States and its allies regarding the nature of the threat posed by the Islamic Republic.
“Politically, this represents a success for the United States in building consensus among its Western allies and, at the same time, a major diplomatic defeat for the Islamic Republic,” the expert concluded.