Spain‘s defence minister, Margarita Robles, on Monday, March 30, announced that it has closed its airspace to United States (U.S) military planes over attacks on Iran, extending its earlier refusal to allow the use of jointly-operated military bases.
“We do not authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Robles said.
Spain’s refusal to cooperate has complicated U.S military operations by forcing bombers to change their routes and logistics on their way to the Middle East.
The transit or landing of planes is allowed only in case of an emergency, the newspaper said.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has emerged as the highest-profile Western leader to consistently oppose the war, launched by U.S-Israeli strikes on February 28, and which has since engulfed the entire Middle East.
His stance has infuriated Spain’s traditional North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally, with U.S president Donald Trump threatening to cut trade ties in their latest policy clash.
Spain had already sparked Trump’s anger by refusing to agree to raise NATO defence spending to five percent of member states’ GDP as demanded by the U.S president.
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