NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has spoken out about the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, saying that Tehran's nuclear and missile ambitions posed a serious threat beyond the Middle East.

At a conference held in Skopje with the President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Rutte said that Iran was "close" to acquiring nuclear weapons equipment.

"This poses a threat not only to the region, but also a major threat to us here in Europe," he said.

Rutte also stressed that NATO was not involved in the conflict, despite the fact that the US is a NATO ally and Iran is retaliating with attacks against military bases of other allies.