Rutte: NATO is holding consultations on opening the Strait of Hormuz

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during a visit to Norway, told reporters that alliance countries are holding consultations on opening the Strait of Hormuz, BelTA reports.

"We are holding consultations. NATO countries are collectively discussing how to open the Strait of Hormuz," Rutte said.

However, he did not provide specific details or say whether any NATO countries are willing to send ships to the conflict zone.

On March 16, at a meeting in Brussels, the EU foreign ministers rejected proposals from EU Foreign Service Chief Kaja Kallas to send several ships to the Strait of Hormuz.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for his part, asserted that the military actions of the United States and Israel against Iran have no connection with the North Atlantic Alliance. Berlin, according to Merz, will not participate in a conflict against Iran.

On the same day, US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the position of several countries that refuse to support Washington, "despite decades of American protection."

On February 28, the US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other key figures in the Islamic Republic's leadership. Iran announced a large-scale retaliatory operation.

Against this backdrop, the Strait of Hormuz was virtually paralyzed. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is a key route for supplying oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf countries to global markets. About 20% of the world's oil, petroleum products and LNG supplies pass through it.