Spain At Loggerheads With Trump Adminstration Again
US military aircraft have relocated from military bases in Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refused to authorise logistical support operations to the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran.
The Spanish Defence Minister, Margarita Robles said that Spain “has not provided and will not provide” assistance for what she described as a “unilateral” operation from the Rota and Morón airbases in Andalucia.
US aircraft will not be permitted to operate from Spanish soil for this mission, Robles said, adding that Washington had taken the “sovereign decision” to move them elsewhere.
Although Rota and Morón are jointly operated under a 1988 bilateral agreement, Robles insisted that any combat use of the facilities must comply with international law.
Spain’s decision to withhold permission for the flights marks the latest point of contention between Sanchez and the Trump Administration.
Sanchez, a frequent critic of both Israel and Donald Trump said that: ‘Today, more than ever, it’s vital to remember that you can be against a hateful regime – as Spanish society is as a whole when it comes to the Iranian regime – and, at the same time, against an unjustified and dangerous military intervention that is outside international law,’ he said.
The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares said this week that the government wanted “democracy, freedom and fundamental rights for the Iranian people”, but it would on no account allow its bases to be used in the ongoing military action”.
‘Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,’ Albares said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.
The bases serve as a strategic transit hub for US miliary assets to the Middle East. Their role has previously sparked controversy – notably during last year’s brief Israel–Iran conflict, when they were used as stop-off points for US bombers and tanker aircraft, and later amid reports of US military transfers to Israel during the Gaza War, despite Spain’s military embargo.
Iran’s ambassador to Spain, Reza Zabib, said he “appreciated” Sánchez’s words. When asked about the prime minister’s words referring to Iran’s “hateful regime, ” Zabib refrained from answering.
The episode adds to already existing tensions between the left wing Spanish government and the Trump administration. Sánchez has resisted pressure to boost defence spending beyond NATO’s 2% GDP benchmark, while the US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised Spain’s lack of military spending.
Photo Credit: jmd1
