The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday he was not “concerned” after the publication of an article by Reuters agency mentioning ongoing reflections in the United States to potentially suspend Spain from NATO in retaliation for its opposition to the war against Iran. No article of the founding treaty of NATO, signed in 1949, provides for the suspension or exclusion of a member of the Atlantic Alliance, which has been criticized by Donald Trump since his return to the White House over a year ago.
Currently in Nicosia, Cyprus, for a summit of European Union leaders, Pedro Sánchez was asked about the information that Washington was considering suspending Spain’s participation in leadership positions within the Alliance: “Spain is a reliable partner within NATO and we fulfill our obligations,” he defended in English. “So, no need to worry,” he dismissed.
“They didn’t support us”
“We do not work based on emails (which according to Reuters mention these reflections in Washington), we work based on official documents and positions taken by the United States government,” he also affirmed in Spanish. “The position of the Spanish government is clear: absolute cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he continued in Spanish.
Asked about these press reports, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on NATO to “remain united.” Donald Trump did not react immediately. But Pentagon spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson noted that “as President Trump said, despite all that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they did not support us” during the offensive against Iran.
“The Ministry of Defense will ensure that the president has credible options available so that our allies are no longer paper tigers but instead play their role,” she added, without specifically commenting on Madrid’s presence in the Atlantic alliance.
“Cease all trade”
Since late February, Pedro Sánchez has opposed the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran, becoming the spearhead of voices rising in the West against hostilities that have engulfed the Middle East. This firm stance has greatly irritated Donald Trump, who has reproached Madrid for refusing to allow the United States to use military bases in Andalusia to conduct air attacks, even threatening to “cease all trade” between the two countries.
For several months, Donald Trump has also criticized the Spanish government for its refusal to increase its security expenses as agreed at the last NATO summit last year. According to Reuters, the Pentagon email mentioning Spain also hinted at a possible shift in the American position on the Falkland Islands in retaliation for the lack of British support for the war against Iran.
A spokesman for the US State Department said Friday that Washington remained “neutral” on the issue of the contested sovereignty of this South Atlantic archipelago, which is subject to a dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. “We are aware of conflicting sovereignty claims between Argentina and the United Kingdom,” the spokesman said, adding that the United States recognize “the de facto administration of the United Kingdom” over the islands, without taking sides in this territorial dispute.
