Nato secretary says 'daddy' Trump stopped Israeli-Iran conflict

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters at the summit in the Hague that President Donald Trump was like a "daddy" intervening in a schoolyard fight.

Trump had compared fighting between Iran and Israel to children quarrelling.

"They've had a big fight, like two kids in a schoolyard. You know, they fight like hell, you can't stop them. Let them fight for about two to three minutes, then it's easy to stop them," he said at a press conference.

Rutte laughed and added: "And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get (them to) stop."

On Tuesday, following a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel, Trump said Israel and Iran had been fighting "so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing".

Asked by a journalist whether he might be pouring too much praise and flattery on Trump, Rutte said: "No, I don't think so. I think it's a bit of a question of taste."

He described Trump as a "good friend" for more than a decade and then praised the US president's role in making the Nato summit a success by "finally" getting Europe to boost military spending.

"So doesn't he deserve some praise?" Rutte asked.

Reporting by Reuters