Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez brands US-led strikes “dangerous and unjustified” as American aircraft are forced to relocate from Spanish soil to Germany.
The Spanish government has flatly rejected a request from the United States to use joint military bases on Spanish soil for its ongoing offensive against Iran.
In a move that highlights a deepening schism within NATO, Madrid has banned the US and Israel from utilising the Rota Naval Base and Morón Air Base for any combat operations linked to the conflict.
According to reports from The Guardian and Al Jazeera, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the military intervention as “unjustified and dangerous”, warning that unilateral strikes would dismantle the existing global order.
The socialist leader’s firm “no” to Washington covers two of the most strategically significant staging grounds in the Mediterranean.
“Not a Launchpad for War”
Speaking to the television station Telecinco, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares insisted that while Spain advocates for democratic reform in Tehran, it refuses to be a secondary party to the current hostilities.
“I want to be perfectly clear,” Albares stated. “These bases are not being used and will not be used for any purpose that falls outside our bilateral agreements or the United Kingdom’s—and the world’s—commitment to the UN Charter.”