An internal email from the Pentagon has revealed the United States’ frustration with Spain and other NATO allies regarding their refusal to allow bases for strikes on Iran, and it suggests potential pressure concerning defense spending.
A leaked communication indicates that the Pentagon has proposed a range of measures aimed at punishing NATO countries that refused to support the US war with Iran, including the suspension of Spain’s NATO membership and a reduction in US backing for the UK’s claim over the Falklands.
The internal correspondence discusses the well-documented anger in Washington towards certain NATO members for denying US forces access to their air bases for refueling military aircraft and for overflight rights while en route to conduct bombings in Iran.
The denial of access to basing and overflight rights, referred to as ABO, is mentioned in the email, which was initially reported by Reuters, and is described by an unnamed official as being “just the absolute baseline for NATO.”
In the meantime, a senior NATO official has stated that the emotion conveyed in the email is “not surprising” in light of US President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with Europe, particularly Spain.
Spanish PM criticises US-Israel strikes on Iran
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has come out as the most outspoken European critic of the US-Israel military actions in Iran.
From the onset of the conflict, while other nations quietly supported the strikes, Spain denied the US access to jointly-operated military installations on its soil, condemning the actions in Iran as “unjustified and dangerous military intervention.”
The NATO official highlights that Trump’s discontent with Spain dates back to Sánchez’s refusal to raise military spending from 2.1% of GDP to 5%, as agreed upon by other NATO allies, leading Trump to label Spain as a “laggard.”
“They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly,” he later commented.
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