The U.S-Iran conflict is unpopular at home with 58% of American adults signaling opposition in a recent Economist/YouGov poll, and surveys conducted both prior and immediately after the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February revealed a general aversion to getting dragged into another foreign entanglement.
While the military intervention is unpopular in the U.S., the opposition to it is significantly greater in Europe, particularly in Spain, where such opposition has proven politically expedient for the ruling Socialist Party.
‘No worries.’
In addition to criticizing the conflict, leftist Spanish officials have in recent months publicly underscored their unwillingness to materially assist the U.S., going so far as to refuse the U.S. to use the jointly run bases at Morón and Rota to strike Iran.
A U.S. official claimed to Reuters that, in an internal email, the Pentagon has floated the idea of pushing Spain out of NATO and punishing allies that failed to toe the line on the Iran conflict.
The email reportedly expresses annoyances over certain allies’ reluctance or outright refusal to permit the U.S. access, basing, and overflight rights for the Iran conflict, which the official said were altogether described as “the absolute baseline for NATO.”
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President Donald Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shake hands. Suzanne Plunkett – Pool/Getty Images
The email identifies a number of sanctions for such noncooperation that might serve to “decreas[e] the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans,” including suspending “difficult” countries from important positions at NATO, the official claimed.
While base closures in Europe were not among the proposed responses, ousting Spain from the alliance — a move the email said would be symbolic but have a limited impact on U.S military operations — is on the table, the official added. It’s unclear how such an ouster would be accomplished given NATO’s founding treaty does not contain a formal mechanism to eject a member.
The email reportedly also raises the possibility of rethinking U.S. diplomatic support for European “imperial possessions” such as Britain’s Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina.
When asked about the email, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told Reuters, “As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they were not there for us.”
“The War Department will ensure that the President has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part,” said Wilson. “We have no further comment on any internal deliberations to that effect.”
President Donald Trump said in a March interview with the New York Post that Spain “is a loser” and “very hostile to NATO.”
“Not a team player, and we’re not going to be a team player with Spain either,” added Trump, suggesting elsewhere that the U.S. could just co-opt the Spanish bases and slap Madrid with a trade embargo.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose country’s defense spending has chronically fallen short of NATO targets, brushed off the email, telling Politico, “No worries.”
“We are fulfilling our obligations toward NATO,” said Sánchez.
“The Spanish government’s position is clear: absolute cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international law,” added the socialist prime minister.
Following the report about the Pentagon memo, a spokesman for the German government suggested that Spain’s membership was safe, reported the BBC.
“Spain is a member of NATO. And I see no reason why that should change,” said the German spokesman.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told NATO members on Friday to stick together, noting the alliance is a “source of strength.”
“We must work to strengthen NATO’s European pillar … which must clearly complement the American one,” added Meloni, who was recently criticized by Trump over her defense of Pope Leo XIV.
The Department of War did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
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