Analysis: Iran and US attacks threaten to overshadow NATO summit
The sudden escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran adds new complications to an already delicate meeting of leaders of NATO, the Western military alliance, in Turkey.
The summit would already be a challenge for NATO's European members, after the US president threatened to move away from Europe and take territory belonging to one of the allies.
The alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, spent much of the first day of the summit, on Tuesday (7), highlighting the increase in defense spending, a point that generates great irritation for Trump.
However, the new escalation, possibly the biggest since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month, now threatens to turn NATO discussions into a secondary issue.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union's (EU) foreign policy representative, said on Wednesday (8) that "the exchanges of fire between the US and Iran further complicate the already tense negotiations to end the war."
Trump has criticized other NATO members for not helping the United States in its war against Iran, personally attacking the leaders of several countries over the issue.
NATO chief supports new US attacks on Iran | CNN NEW DAY
Exchange of attacks between Iran and the United States
The United States launched new attacks against Iran on Tuesday (7) and reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil sales in response to a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
The move comes while President Donald Trump is in Ankara, Turkey, for the NATO summit.
Iran fired at three commercial vessels in Oman's territorial waters, close to the Strait of Hormuz, according to an American official, who classified the situation as a "serious violation" of the memorandum of understanding signed between the countries.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the US Treasury Department's decision to reimpose sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil, saying the move violates the memorandum of understanding to end the conflict.
This was one of the main concessions made to the Iranian regime in exchange for reopening the waterway.
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Source: CNN