Iran FM Spox: Europe Must Be Held Accountable for Complicity in Aggression

In a strongly worded statement on his X account early on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei lashed out at NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s recent remarks which boasted of European involvement in the conflict. Rejecting any claims of neutrality, Baghaei emphasized that Rutte’s repeated admissions of Europe’s willful complicity in the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran confirm that they were not impartial in this unlawful aggression. He stated that those who provided their territories, military bases, and infrastructure to enable the aggression cannot evade responsibility for their contribution to an unprovoked aggression and its grave consequences.

The spokesperson further lambasted the NATO chief’s rhetoric, characterizing it as a performative display of subservience rather than strategic strength. Baghaei remarked that Rutte’s relentless self-congratulation for serving an illegal war of choice does not reflect strength but exposes the servile mindset of a fawning courtier who fancies that flattery can erase a king’s contempt. He added that in Washington’s eyes, an ineffective organization cannot be rendered effective through sycophancy, nor can such manipulative flattery ever restore the flatterer’s own self-respect and personal integrity.

According to Mehr News, the statement reflects Iran's strong condemnation of European involvement in what it describes as US-Israeli aggression against Iran. The report by Mehr News added that Baghaei's comments were in response to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's earlier remarks that highlighted European participation in the conflict.