Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has dismissed reports suggesting possible Pentagon measures against Spain, including a threat to suspend its NATO participation, saying his government does not respond to informal communications.
According to media reports citing US officials, the Pentagon has reportedly considering punitive actions against NATO allies, including limiting Spain’s participation in certain alliance activities, amid growing tensions over support for US operations linked to the Iran conflict.
“We do not work with emails. We work with official documents and positions taken by the government of the United States,” Sánchez said at a European union summit in Cyprus.
He reiterated that Spain maintains “absolute collaboration with allies, but always within the framework of international legality.”
The Trump administration has intensified criticism of NATO members it accuses of “free-riding” and not sufficiently backing American military efforts, particularly those related to security in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping corridor.
Spain, meanwhile, had refused to allow US forces access to its military bases or airspace for operations connected to the Iran conflict, arguing that US and Israeli actions in the region violate international law.
The reported Pentagon discussion, attributed to an unidentified US official cited in a Reuters report, comes amid renewed frustration from US President Donald Trump over NATO allies he says are not contributing sufficiently to American-led efforts in the region.
Trump, who has been calling NATO a “paper tiger” has also questioned the value of continued US participation in the alliance and threatened trade consequences for countries restricting US military access.
NATO operates on consensus and has no formal mechanism to suspend or expel members, though countries may withdraw voluntarily with notice.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said allied discussions with Washington indicated coordination on post-conflict maritime security, including demining and escorting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, however, stressed that existing agreements on overflight and basing rights must be respected by member states.
Meanwhile, in NATO there is no mechanism to suspend or expel member states from the alliance. Spain has imposed restrictions on US operations linked to the conflict. France and the United Kingdom have reportedly declined to allow US forces unrestricted access to their territories for use in the bombing campaign.
In Italy, the defence ministry has refused permission for US military aircraft carrying weapons for operations related to the Iran conflict to use an airbase in Sicily. Officials said the United States did not submit the required authorisation request in time for parliamentary approval, as required under international agreements.
