NATO chief says US flew 5,000 sorties from bases in Europe during operation against Iran

Around 5,000 US aircraft took off from European airbases as part of a military operation against Iran, confirming that Europe remains a key military ally of Washington, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Financial Times.

"When you look at the overall picture, you see European countries doing what they promised," he said, citing some 5,000 US flights in support of the war from European bases, the newspaper wrote. "Europe again is one big platform of power projection for the United States," Rutte added.

"What I sense generally in the US is disappointment when it comes to what I would say are isolated cases where Europeans did not always fulfil what was bilaterally agreed," he noted. "I’m not saying these isolated cases, reason for disappointment, are not there, but the general picture is very positive," the official said.