NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg meets with President Trump [AP Yonhap News]

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced on the 22nd (local time) that NATO member states and allies such as South Korea and Japan would rally to reopen passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded.

Speaking on Fox News, Secretary General Rutte emphasized that "The good news is that a group of 22 countries, most of them NATO allies, but also Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Bahrain, etc., came together on Thursday (the 19th) to implement his (U.S. President Donald Trump's) vision to make the Strait of Hormuz free and open as soon as possible."

Rutte stated, "Currently, this group of 22 countries is working with the United States to plan military and other personnel. We are proceeding with what is needed, when it is needed, and how we will do it together, and we will ensure the opening and free navigation of the Strait of Hormuz as soon as the time is right."

In an interview with CBS News, Rutte also said that NATO member states and 22 countries, including South Korea and Japan, "came together to basically answer three questions: what is needed, when is it needed, and where is it needed" to open the Strait of Hormuz since the 19th. He added, "These three questions are now being addressed to respond to President (Trump)'s demand to ensure free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

Rutte's remarks can be interpreted as indicating that East Asian allies like South Korea and Japan, along with European and Middle Eastern allies and partners, have gathered or exchanged opinions to meet the U.S. demand.

Regarding President Trump's criticism that NATO's response to a potential conflict with Iran was passive, Rutte said, "I understand the President's frustration that it is taking time, as he felt that Europe and other allies were too slow." He added, "But I ask for his understanding, as each country had to prepare without knowing about (Iran's attack)."

On the 20th, President Trump criticized, "Without the U.S., NATO is a paper tiger," and stated, "They did not want to join the fight to deter a nuclear-armed Iran." He also pointed out that NATO's participation in operations in the Strait of Hormuz is "very easy for them with almost no risk. Cowards," adding, "And we will remember."

Rutte mentioned that he had spoken with President Trump several times recently, and argued, using the example of North Korea, that the U.S. could not help but break the nuclear deal with Iran and launch a preemptive strike to "make the world safe."

He told CBS News, "As we saw with North Korea, if we negotiate for too long, we can miss the point at which it can be resolved. North Korea now possesses nuclear capabilities," adding, "If Iran acquires nuclear capabilities along with its missile capabilities, it will be a direct and existential threat to the stability of Israel, the region, Europe, and the world."

Regarding the analysis that Iran's launch of a ballistic missile with a range of about 4,000 kilometers towards the UK-US joint base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean could put major European cities within range, Rutte said, "They (Iran) are very close to having such capabilities. This is precisely why I feel that the majority of European politicians sympathize with what the President is doing here (in Iran)."