The incident involving an Iranian missile launched toward Turkey was serious and demonstrated that NATO remains vigilant, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Reuters.
The NATO chief stressed that Iran was close to acquiring nuclear and missile capabilities that could also pose a threat to Europe. He added that the Alliance supports the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
He noted that in the context of the Iranian missile launched toward Turkey, “no one is talking about Article 5.” Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all member states.
Turkey’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that a ballistic missile launched from Iran toward Turkish airspace was destroyed by NATO air and missile defense systems over the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. No one was injured. Following the incident, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara summoned Iran’s ambassador and handed him a protest note, while the Turkish defense ministry stressed in a statement that “Turkey reserves the right to respond to any hostile action directed against it.”