The US needs to reassess its relationship with the defense alliance NATO when the war in Iran is over.
This is what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with the television station Fox News.
- In my opinion, unfortunately, there is no doubt that after the conflict we need to reassess the relationship, says Rubio.
He also states that any decision regarding NATO membership is up to US President Donald Trump.
The Foreign Minister says that he has previously been a strong defender of the NATO alliance.
That was when he was a Republican member of the Senate from 2011 to 2025.
Rubio explains that he particularly sees great value in the fact that the US military has been able to use military bases in Europe. According to Rubio, the bases have made it possible for the US to exercise its power in large parts of the world.
Several European countries have restricted US military access to the bases in connection with the war in Iran.
These are Italy and Spain.
- If we have now reached a point where the NATO alliance means that we cannot use those bases - that we can no longer actually use them to defend US interests - then NATO is a one-sided relationship, says Marco Rubio.
The Secretary of State explains that the US has not asked its NATO allies to participate in airstrikes in Iran, but only for permission to use military bases.
- Their answer is no. Why are we in NATO? That's the question we have to ask, says Marco Rubio.
The US and Israel launched the first wave of military strikes on Iran on February 28.
According to Donald Trump, this was done to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and missiles that could reach the US.
Iran responded by attacking a number of targets across the Middle East with missiles and drones, and the war has developed into a regional conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump said that the US could end the war in Iran within two to three weeks.
/ritzau/AFP
