NATO does not plan to trigger its Article 5 mutual defence clause over the shooting down of a ballistic missile headed for Türkiye, Secretary General Mark Rutte told Reuters yesterday, amid fears the alliance could become embroiled in the US-Iran war.
“Nobody’s talking about Article 5,” Rutte said in an interview at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, even as he described the incident as ‘serious’.
“The most important thing is that our adversaries have seen yesterday that Nato is so strong and so vigilant,” he said.
Nato member Türkiye said the alliance’s air defences on Wednesday destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile as it headed into Turkish airspace, highlighting the possibility that the conflict could expand to include the entire alliance.
Nato’s Article 5 specifies that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all of them. It obliges allies to take action they deem necessary to assist the country under attack, including potentially the use of military force.
The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff yesterday denied it had fired missiles at Türkiye, saying the Islamic Republic respected the sovereignty of “friendly” Türkiye, according to a statement carried by Iranian media.
As the US-Iran war entered its sixth day, the conflict has widened beyond Gulf states and into Asia, convulsing global markets and prompting thousands of stranded tourists and residents to try to flee the Middle East.
Rutte said many Nato allies support the United States and Israel in their strikes against Iran as the country was “close to becoming a threat to Europe as well”.
However, several leaders of Nato countries such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have criticised the military action, branding it a dangerous violation of international law.
Asked if he was sure the US had a clear end-state in mind to avoid instability that could pose risks for Europe, Rutte said: “From my conversations with senior American military and political leaders, it’s my absolute sense that they know where they are going.”
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