NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) 鈥� Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez on Friday declined to be drawn into a dispute with the United States over reports that the Pentagon is weighing whether to punish members of NATO that fail to support American operations in the .
Among those in the firing line is Spain, which has U.S. forces involved in the war to use bases on its territory or airspace. Spain says that U.S.-Israeli actions in the Iran war contravene international law.
France and the U.K. also have refused to give U.S. forces free rein to use their territory for the bombing campaign.
The Pentagon is reported to be mulling whether to suspend Spain from NATO, according to an unidentified U.S. official referring to a Defense Department email, and quoted by Reuters. A senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, did not dispute the accuracy of the reporting.
鈥淲ell, we do not work with emails,” S谩nchez told reporters at a European Union summit in Cyprus. “We work with official documents and positions taken, in this case, by the government of the United States.鈥�
鈥淭he position of the government of Spain is clear: absolute collaboration with the allies, but always within the framework of international legality,鈥� he said.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson claimed that NATO allies 鈥渨ere not there for us鈥� and added in her statement that the Pentagon 鈥渨ill ensure that the President has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part.鈥�
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has routinely floated plans or ideas that are neither acted upon nor become policy.
The email also suggested reassessing U.S. support for the United Kingdom’s claim to the , near Argentina, which are also known as Islas Malvinas.
Dave Pares, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said the U.K. position on the islands is 鈥渓ongstanding and it鈥檚 unchanged: Sovereignty rests with the U.K., and the islanders鈥� right to self-determination is paramount.鈥�
Pares noted 鈥渢he Falkland Islands have previously voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining a U.K. overseas territory.鈥�
NATO staying out of the war
NATO operates by consensus, and all 32 member countries must agree for it to act.
The trans-Atlantic alliance’s founding treaty has no mechanism for suspending or ejecting any of the members, although nations may leave of their own accord one year after notifying the other allies. As an organization, NATO has no direct role in the Iran war except to .
Asked for comment, NATO headquarters said: 鈥淣ATO鈥檚 Founding Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership, or expulsion.鈥�
by what he sees as the failure of some NATO members to back American actions in the Iran war and to help police the Strait of Hormuz, a major trade route. He has questioned the purpose of U.S. membership in the military organization.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas appeared perplexed by the U.S. criticism, given that the United Kingdom and France are leading an effort to help secure trade in the strait once the war is over.
鈥淲hen we have had contacts with the American counterparts, then actually their asks for us have been exactly what we are able to offer after the cessation of hostilities,鈥� she said. 鈥淒emining, escorting of ships, all of this that we have been discussing.鈥�
But the United States has 鈥渓ong-standing arrangements and agreements with European allies on overflight, on basing鈥� that should be respected, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said, in implicit criticism of some allies like Spain, but also France.
While Spain restricted U.S. military activity related to the Iran war, U.S. warplanes have flown over other NATO allies鈥� airspace and used U.S. bases in other NATO countries for war-related operations.
Trump has even threatened to with Spain over its refusal to allow the use of its bases and airspace. More broadly, Spain has also by failing to commit to spend as much as they plan to do on defense.
Security without the US
As the reality sinks in that the U.S. commitment to NATO and Europe鈥檚 security under Trump has waned, the EU leaders debated how best to use to come to each other鈥檚 aid should one of them come under attack.
Cypriot President , whose country holds the bloc鈥檚 presidency until July, said that the leaders had tasked the European Commission to 鈥減repare a blueprint on how we respond鈥� should a member seek help under Article 42.7 of the EU treaties.
It’s only ever been used once, by France after the in 2015.
EU envoys and ministers are set next month to conduct 鈥渢able-top exercises鈥� to game out how the treaty article might be used, drawing on the bloc鈥檚 military capacities, but also other assets not available to NATO, like trade, border and visa policies.
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Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
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