NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that the group of 22 countries, most of them NATO members, must create the proper conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for navigation.

In remarks to the American network Fox News, Rutte described the campaign led by US President Donald Trump against Iran as necessary, highlighting the importance of Washington playing a role in neutralizing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

He also described Iran’s capabilities as, in his words, an existential threat to Israel, the region, Europe, and the world, adding that Trump was angry at what he considered slow action by European allies.

On Saturday, 22 countries expressed their willingness to contribute to efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, while condemning Iran’s closure of the strategic passage.

In a joint statement, the 22 countries, mostly European along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, said: “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” adding, “We welcome the commitment of participating countries to the preparatory planning.”

The countries continued: “We strongly condemn the recent Iranian attacks on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas facilities, and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.”