The Dutch caretaker cabinet is holding an extraordinary meeting of its national security council on Sunday in response to the United States’ bombing of Iran.

Ministers are discussing unfolding international developments and will issue an official government stance on the American military action once the session concludes.

Caretaker defence minister Ruben Brekelmans told television programme WNL op Zondag that he was not surprised by US president Donald Trump’s decision. “We were not formally informed, but had indications via our sources that it would happen,” he said.

“We moeten niet naïef zijn” als het aankomt op het nucleaire programma van Iran. Dat stelt @DefensieMin @rubenbrekelmans: “We kennen de aard van het Iraanse regime. Als zij voortdurend zeggen dat ze erop uit zijn om Israël van de kaart te vegen, dan weet je dat het verrijken van… pic.twitter.com/Jc5sPmwOft

— WNL Op Zondag (@WNLOpZondag) June 22, 2025

He also said that he understood why the bombings had been carried out and that Iran’s nuclear threat to Israel is too great to ignore. “It cannot be that Israel constantly does the dirty work. Ultimately, agreements must be reached with Iran to halt their nuclear programme,” Brekelmans said.

Brekelmans said he hoped Iran accepts the offer to negotiate. “We must increase pressure on Iran to come to the table,” he said. “I think few people have sympathy for this Iranian regime, given how they treat their own people.”

The Dutch National Security Council was established in 2022 to discuss issues such as terrorism, nuclear weapons and cyber security. Almost all ministers participate, with the exception of those for education, agriculture and infrastructure.

Opposition parties have said they are extremely concerned by the the US attack. GroenLinks–PvdA leader Frans Timmermans labelled it “a reckless act” on social media while Socialist Party leader Jimmy van Dijk described it as “yet another illegal American war”. “The Netherlands must not get involved in any way,” he said.

D66 MP Jan Patternote urged the European Union to decide on trade sanctions against Israel on Monday, despite the escalation with Iran. “Don’t let that decision be overshadowed by the attack,” he said on social media.

“Gaza threatens to disappear from the news, even though people are being shot just for going to get food,” he said.