Nato’s secretary-general has riled European capitals with his unequivocal backing for Donald Trump’s war with Iran, as the continent grapples with an energy shock triggered by the conflict, further straining the transatlantic alliance.
Mark Rutte’s suggestion that European allies would eventually “come together” to heed the US president’s call to deploy naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz has irked officials in several European capitals, alliance diplomats told the FT, exacerbating tensions within Nato over how far to go in accommodating its largest member.
“It puts us in a real