Brussels, Belgium: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the planned Hormuz reopening under a US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war would be a “massive step forward.” AFP reported this.
Rutte spoke in Brussels before a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation defence ministers. Additionally, he said, “The restoration of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be a massive step forward.” Rutte said this at a press conference.
He said many NATO allies were ready to support the move through an initiative led by France and the United Kingdom.
Rutte also said the United States was not “pulling away” from allies after announcing cuts to forces it makes available to the alliance. However, “In some cases, this has been cast as a problem as the US pulling away from its allies. But that is not the reality,” he said.
The remarks came as the United States and Iran prepared to sign a preliminary agreement on Friday to end the war.
Read: US-Iran Deal Leak: Trump Denies Al Arabiya Leaked Draft Terms
The United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iranian targets on February 28. Afterward, Iran and the United States agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8.
The ceasefire was later extended indefinitely and remains in place. Pakistan hosted the first face-to-face talks between the United States and Iran in 47 years in April. The talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown, the source timeline said.
