Rubio denounces NATO refusal to help on Iran ahead of alliance talks

Key points

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday (May 21, 2026) renewed criticism of NATO for not supporting the U.S. war on Iran, as he headed to alliance talks in Sweden.
• “There are many countries in NATO that agree with us that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon, that Iran is a threat to the world,” Mr. Rubio told reporters in Miami before leaving for the talks among NATO Foreign Ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden.
• President Donald Trump “said, fine, I’m going to do something about it,” Mr. Rubio said.
• “He’s not asking them to commit troops.
• He’s not asking them to send their fighter jets in.