Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. military planes involved in President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, forcing the planes to bypass the NATO member on their way to targets in the Middle East.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s war with Iran, which he says is reckless and illegal, and has barred the use of Spain’s military bases since the war began on Feb. 28.
Now his government is also restricting use of Spain’s airspace.
“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters in Madrid on Monday, Reuters reported.
The no-fly zone won’t apply to emergency situations, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Madrid over its policy denying the U.S. use of its air bases.
Two days later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Spain had changed its position over the threatened trade embargo, only for Sánchez to deny that Spain would be cooperating with the U.S. military.
“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 said in a national address.
Trump has also raged against other NATO allies, including France, for refusing to “step up” and help attack Iran, particularly after the regime closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for deadly U.S.-Israeli strikes.
With average gas prices in the U.S. hitting nearly $4 per gallon on average, the president is eager to reopen the strait and avert a rapidly worsening energy crisis.
NATO allies have refused to get involved, though, and have pointed out that the organization is a defensive alliance. That means they’re not “party to conflict,” as French President Emmanuel Macron put it.
During a radio interview Monday, Spain’s economy minister, Carlos Cuerro, was asked whether the government’s latest move could further hurt relations with the U.S.
“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,” he replied, according to Reuters.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
