The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Friday that he had no “concern” 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 NATO founding treaty, signed in 1949, provides for the suspension or exclusion of a member of the Atlantic Alliance, which has been the subject of many criticisms from 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 questioned about the reports that Washington was considering suspending Spain’s participation in leadership roles within the Alliance: “Spain is a reliable partner within NATO and we fulfill our obligations,” he defended in English. “So, no concern,” he dismissed.
“They did not support us”
“We do not work based on emails (which would mention, according to Reuters, these reflections in Washington), we work based on official documents and positions that the United States government formulates,” he also affirmed in Spanish. “The position of the Spanish government is clear: complete cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he continued in Spanish.
Responding to these press reports, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on NATO to “remain united.” Donald Trump did not react immediately. But Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson noted that “as President Trump said, despite everything 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 at his disposal so that our allies are no longer paper tigers but play their role,” she added, without specifically commenting on Madrid’s presence in the Atlantic Alliance.
“Cease all commerce”
Since late February, Pedro Sánchez has opposed the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran, becoming the leading voice in the West against the hostilities that have engulfed the Middle East. This firm position has greatly irritated Donald Trump, who criticized Madrid for refusing to let the United States use military bases in Andalusia to launch airstrikes, going as far as threatening to “cease all commerce” between the two countries.
For several months, Donald Trump has also reproached the Spanish government for not increasing its security spending as agreed at the NATO summit last year. According to Reuters, the Pentagon email mentioning Spain also referred to a possible shift in the American position concerning the Falkland Islands in retaliation for the lack of British support for the war against Iran.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Friday that Washington remained “neutral” on the disputed sovereignty issue of this South Atlantic archipelago, which is the subject of a dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. “We are aware of conflicting sovereignty claims between Argentina and the United Kingdom,” the spokesperson said, adding that the United States recognized “the de facto administration of the UK” over the islands, without taking sides in this territorial dispute.
