Spain has shut its skies, but the White House says U.S. operations are on track and it ‘does not need help from Spain or anyone else.’
By Catholics for Catholics
In another act of defiance against the Trump administration, Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the war against Iran, going beyond just the denial of the use of joint military bases in that country, according to the Spanish Defense Minister.
“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Margarita Robles told reporters in Madrid on Monday, according to a story by The Epoch Times.
“It’s a very clear position: We are not going to authorize, as we have said at the beginning, Robles said. “And, of course, the use of Spanish airspace.”
In other words, Spain has prohibited U.S. fighter jets and refueling aircraft from using its bases and barred U.S. aircraft operating from third countries access to its airspace.
“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,” Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told Spanish radio station Cadena SER when asked on March 30 whether the latest decision could worsen relations with the United States.
In addition, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister said on March 25 in Congress that he would deny the U.S. the use of airspace and military options against Iran.
“We have denied the United States the use of the Rota and Morón bases for this illegal war,” he said in comments published in Spanish newspaper El Pais. “Flight plans involving actions related to the operation in Iran have been rejected. All of them, including those of refueling aircraft.”
Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Iran war.
Two key joint U.S.–Spanish military bases are based in that country, which operate under the bilateral U.S.–Spain defense cooperation agreement and support NATO operations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
A big naval center for the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet is Rota, in Spain. While Morón Air Base in the Andalusia region of Spain is placed near the Mediterranean and the Middle East and operates a long runway and aircraft refueling systems, according to the U.S. Navy.
Both bases remain under Spanish sovereignty but permit a stable U.S. military presence and are considered among Washington’s most important defense facilities in southern Europe.
“The United States Military is meeting or surpassing all of its goals under Operation Epic Fury and does not need help from Spain or anyone else,” a White House official told The Epoch Times by email.
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