Spain closes airspace to US military flights amid Iran conflict, Washington reacts
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Spain’s recent decision after the NATO ally closed its airspace to US military aircraft involved in the ongoing Iran conflict, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the restriction applies to all operations related to the war, stressing that neither US access to joint bases nor the use of Spanish airspace would be permitted.
"This was made perfectly clear to the American military and forces from the very beginning. Therefore, neither the bases are authorized, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorized for any actions related to the war in Iran," Robles told reporters.
Spain, a member of NATO, has emerged as one of Europe’s most vocal critics of US and Israeli military actions in the region, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling for an end to hostilities. At the same time, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, reaffirmed the country’s position.
“What Spain’s foreign policy does is represent the overwhelming sentiment of Spanish society: to call for an end to the war, to defend the protection of civilians and human rights. We will continue to stand up for international law in the face of chaos,” the minister said in a social media post.
Responding to the move, Marco Rubio criticized the decision in an interview with Al Jazeera, warning it could prompt a reassessment of NATO’s role for Washington.
“Without the United States, there is no NATO. I mean, everyone recognizes that, including NATO. If we decided tomorrow that we were going to remove our troops from Europe, that would be the end of NATO. So they know that. And that commitment – we haven’t moved troops out of NATO. So anyone who said that is not being honest, is not – I think they’re playing games. At the end of the day it’s very simple. NATO is an Alliance, and an Alliance means it has to be mutually beneficial. It cannot be a one-way street. Let’s hope we can fix it. We’ll have time to address it after. Right now we’re focused on this operation,” Rubio said.
As Qazinform reported earlier, US President Donald Trump warned Iran of possible strikes on energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
