Spains socialist government has chosen this moment of heightened conflict with Iran to escalate its defiance of the United States, openly restricting American military operations despite decades of alliance and protection under NATO.
According to RedState, European partners have been tepid at best in supporting President Trumps campaign to deter Iranian aggression, with several governments signaling that safeguarding their political posturing matters more than collective security. The United Kingdom initially refused to allow U.S. use of its airbases during the early stages of Operation Epic Fury before partially reversing course, but not before inflicting serious damage on the special relationship that has long underpinned Anglo-American cooperation.
Spains leftist prime minister, Pedro Snchez, went even further, denouncing the effort as illegal and pledging that Madrid would do nothing to assist. Germany, for its part, declared, "This is not our war, and likewise vowed to stay out, even as vital global shipping lanes and Western energy security were at stake.
When President Trump attempted to assemble a coalition to secure the strategically indispensable Strait of Hormuz, most of Washingtons supposed allies were conspicuously absent. It was only after he bluntly reminded them that they depend on the Straits oil far more than the United States doesand warned he would leave them to fend for themselvesthat European leaders began to soften their stance.
Now Spain has escalated from passive obstruction to outright hostility toward U.S. operations. Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Monday.
"We don't authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran," she told reporters ?in Madrid. When even CBS News describes the Spanish government as leftist, it underscores just how far Snchezs administration has drifted from the Western security consensus.
"Spain's leftist government has closed Spanish airspace to U.S. planes carrying out missions against Iran, in addition to denying Washington use of its bases, the defense minister said Monday." Although Spain has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for more than four decades, its conduct bears little resemblance to that of a reliable ally.
The closure of the airspace forces military planes to bypass NATO member Spain en route to their targets in the Middle East, but it does not include emergency situations, El Pais added... Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the U.S. and ?Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal.
Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, pressed in a radio interview on whether this snub would damage U.S.-Spanish relations, displayed a striking indifference to the alliance. "This decision is part of the decision already made by the Spanish government not to participate in or contribute to a war which was initiated unilaterally and against international law."
Many Americans could be forgiven for wondering why Washington should continue to underwrite the security of governments that openly undermine U.S. operations while sheltering under the NATO umbrella. Secretary of State Marco Rubio captured that frustration, calling Spains move disappointing, particularly given Americas treaty obligation to defend Madrid in its hour of need: "Its disappointing to see that in a time of need for the United States, we have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it."
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