On July 8 at the NATO summit in Ankara, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever said NATO cannot agree with the US on military strikes against Iran, calling the matter outside NATO’s remit and harmful to alliance unity. He noted Article 5 collective defense covers members being attacked but does not require other members to join unilateral offensive actions decided by one ally, and said expecting NATO partners to take part would be unreasonable and inconsistent with NATO’s spirit.

2026-07-10

On July 8 at the NATO summit in Ankara, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever said NATO cannot agree with the US on military strikes against Iran, calling the matter outside NATO’s remit and harmful to alliance unity. He noted Article 5 collective defense covers members being attacked but does not require other members to join unilateral offensive actions decided by one ally, and said expecting NATO partners to take part would be unreasonable and inconsistent with NATO’s spirit.