The Pentagon has suggested punishing Madrid for blocking bases and airspace during the war on Iran, according to an internal email cited by the outlet
FILE PHOTO. Spanish President Pedro Sanchez at 2024 NATO summit in Washington, DC. © Getty Images / Andrew Harnik
The
US is allegedly weighing unprecedented measures to punish NATO members
it believes failed to support its war against Iran, Reuters reported on
Friday, citing an internal Pentagon email. The options are said to
include the possible suspension of Spain from the bloc, according to the
outlet.
The document, reportedly circulating at high levels in
the Department of War, expresses deep frustration with European NATO
members who denied the US access to their bases and airspace during the
war that started in late February, an American official familiar with
the document told Reuters.
Among the measures under consideration are suspending “difficult”
countries from key positions within the bloc, as well as temporarily
revoking Spain’s NATO membership. While admitting that such a move would
have a limited impact on US military operations, the Pentagon email
argues it would carry significant symbolic weight.
However, a NATO
official has stressed to the BBC that no provisions for member states
to be suspended or expelled from the bloc actually exist. The only way a
country can leave is by voluntarily invoking Article 13, which requires
one year’s formal “notice of denunciation.”
Spain has been one of the most vocal critics of the US‑Israeli war on
Iran and has consistently refused to allow US forces to use its
military bases or airspace for offensive operations against the Islamic
Republic. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly denounced the
campaign, calling it an “illegal, reckless, and unjust war.”
Commenting on the Reuters report, Sanchez brushed aside the threat, stating he was “absolutely not worried” about being suspended from the bloc, stressing that Spain is “a reliable member within NATO.”
Another
option reportedly being considered by Washington is reviewing US
diplomatic support for the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands
(Malvinas), which have long been disputed with Argentina. British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer initially refused to join the US-Israeli war on
Iran, although the UK later allowed “defensive missions” from its bases in the region.
Since
the launch of the unprovoked attack on Iran, US President Donald Trump
has repeatedly pressed NATO members to join the campaign and help secure
the vital Strait of Hormuz.
When Spain and other European nations refused, Trump denounced NATO as a “paper tiger” and warned that the US could withdraw from the bloc.