NATO Chief to Meet Trump Over Iran Conflict

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General,  Mark Rutte, will meet United States President Donald Trump in Washington next week, as tensions rise within the alliance over the ongoing Iran conflict.

NATO confirmed on Friday that Rutte will visit the U.S. capital on April 8, where he is also scheduled to hold talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The meeting comes as Trump has sharply criticised NATO allies, accusing some European countries of restricting U.S. military access to bases and declining to take a leading role in efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

He has also suggested he may reconsider the United States’ membership in the decades-old alliance, citing dissatisfaction with European partners’ response to the conflict.

Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, is expected to deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Institute on April 9 as part of his visit.

Despite recent tensions, he has maintained that Trump’s pressure has pushed European allies to increase defence spending, arguing that the U.S. president has, in effect, strengthened the alliance.