Nato chief says Trump ‘clearly disappointed’ by US allies’ refusal to join Iran war

Mark Rutte praises ‘very frank’ talks but declines to say if president discussed potential withdrawal from alliance

Mark Rutte, the secretary general of Nato, has said Donald Trump was “clearly disappointed” that the US’s allies had refused to join its war against Iran, following a closed-door meeting in Washington on Wednesday.

Speaking to CNN after his private meeting with the US president, Rutte declined to say directly whether Trump raised his threat to withdraw from the military alliance over the Iran war, but described the exchange as a “very frank, very open” discussion between “two good friends”.