Spain has closed its airspace. (Image: Getty)
A popular European country has closed its airspace to the US aircrafts as it took a stringent step towards the “illegal” war with Iran. Spain’s Prime Minister said that they have prohibited the use of the Rota (Cádiz) and Morón de la Frontera (Seville) air bases by fighter jets or aerial refueling aircraft cooperating in the attack.
This means that the US planes involved in the Middle East war will not be allowed to land at bases in Spain or use its airspace. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: “We have denied the United States the use of the Rota and Morón air bases for this illegal war. All flight plans involving actions related to the operation in Iran have been rejected. All of them, including those for refueling aircraft.” Since the beginning of the war, Spain has barred US fighter jets and other military aircraft from using the Rota (Cádiz) and Morón de la Frontera (Seville) bases.
Spain PM Pedro Sánchez recently made the announcement. (Image: Getty)
Mr Sánchez has been one of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Trump warned that he would “cut off all trade” with Spain in response to the refusal to grant US. forces access to those bases.
During a sit-down with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said: “We are going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
Trump had made a similar threat the previous October over what he viewed as Spain’s low defence spending, but nothing ever came of it.
It comes as Spain’s Prime Minister escalated the dispute by openly rejecting the White House press secretary’s assertion that Madrid had “heard Trump’s message loud and clear” and was cooperating with US. military plans. Even as he condemned Tehran’s authoritarian leadership, Sánchez insisted he would not support a conflict he viewed as an unwarranted act of aggression.
Earlier this month he had said: “We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone.” He used the slogal “No to the war”.
Spain stood alone within NATO in declining to endorse a pledge to raise defence spending to 5 percent of its gross domestic product. At a NATO gathering last year, Sánchez negotiated a late exemption, committing Spain only to a ceiling of 2.1 percent, which he described as an amount that was both achievable and appropriate.
In response, Trump suggested that Spain’s place in the alliance should be reconsidered, though this idea has so far remained an implied rather than an active proposal.