Five US Air Force planes moved in Rota last Friday. The first one flew in the early morning from the base to Djibouti, where the arrival of US aircraft is increasing, prepositioned in case the conflict in the Middle East escalates. Next, a Super Hercules arrived from the German base of Ramstein. Later in the afternoon, three more planes took off heading to Chania, the airport on the Greek island of Crete hosting aircraft since the conflict began. Its strategic position is crucial: halfway in the Eastern Mediterranean and where the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier has been docked since March 19 for maintenance tasks.
These five movements complete over 70 flight plans that the Donald Trump administration has communicated to the Spanish Armed Forces and carried out to and from the two national bases in this first month of conflict. This activity surpasses the average at these bases, confirming that, despite the No to war stance, the facilities in Cádiz and Seville have become essential for the planning and distribution of forces in the conflict.
Sources from the Spanish Air Force consulted by EL MUNDO confirm the "essential usefulness" that Rota and Morón have shown in this conflict, as was the case in the first attack on Iran last June, during Operation Midnight Hammer. "The aircraft movements show a combination of arrivals and departures of Hercules and Globemaster aircraft, ensuring both the supply of deployed forces and the rapid mobility of troops and equipment. In addition, shuttle flights allow for better resource management in the area, combining Rota with other smaller bases in the Mediterranean," explains the same source. They refer to flights to other European bases as a way to continue towards the conflict zone. A trick, as Spain only authorizes the initial flight plan, without needing to know what other movements the US aircraft make afterwards. According to the person consulted, "the increase in these movements shows the importance of these bases in carrying out the offensive in Iran, there is no doubt about that, even though the planes do not fly directly from Spain to the Middle East."
Last Friday five aircraft used the base in Cádiz
Rota and Morón have become key points in the logistics of the US Air Force and Navy, playing a central role in supporting operations related to the conflict in the Middle East. The compiled movements reveal a pattern of landings and take-offs combining long-distance strategic flights with shorter tactical operations within the Mediterranean and towards West Africa.
These movements have not affected the validity of the No to war stance for the Government. Although on March 1, the take-offs of the Stratotankers - used for aerial refueling - showed a trend of "escaping" from Spanish bases, the take-offs and landings on other days reflect that Spain has remained crucial, even if not directly used, despite the political tone of criticism from Donald Trump and responses from Sánchez over these four weeks, after reviving the slogan first used by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2003. Four words that he reiterated strongly in León, where the former president starred in one of the campaign rallies for Castilla y León.
On March 6, while Pedro Sánchez reiterated his stance against the attack on Iran during the Spanish-Portuguese summit held in Huelva, a Boeing C-17 landed, capable of transporting heavy material, from the US base in Norfolk to Rota. Also, a Hercules transport plane from the German base of Ramstein landed in Rota, which was allowed.
From Spain, the force and capabilities are distributed
This aircraft, with registration 08-3176, is of special importance in this month of unusual movements for the logistics of the war in Iran. It is the most active aircraft operating on multiple fronts. Belonging to the 37th squadron, it has operated with flights to strategic bases in recent days: Ramstein, Chania, or Accra (Ghana), always returning to Rota but with layovers at airports where they have the green light to operate against Iran. This demonstrates Rota's role as a logistical hub, capable of connecting operational areas in Africa and the Middle East with airports in Europe, enabling the rapid mobility of personnel and equipment.
A US Navy Hercules, with registration 164995, is confirmed as another of the most used aircraft from Spain, with continuous trips between Sigonella (Italy) and Rota, even making quick stops at Souda Bay in Crete. The consistency of these movements reflects the coordination between air and naval forces.
Above, a screenshot of the US aircraft that made the route from Rota to Djibouti on Friday. Above these lines, six aircraft avoid flying over Spanish airspace.
The importance of these two bases was confirmed on March 19. While Pedro Sánchez reiterated in Brussels that "the war in Iran is illegal and Spain has condemned it from the beginning," the US Ambassador to Spain, Benjamín León, visited Rota. Donald Trump was reflecting on the usefulness of the base due to Spain's refusal to use them directly for the conflict, and his representative on the ground "blessed" them with his presence just a month after presenting his credentials in Spain. However, this was a limited move, as two days later, on March 21, six KC-46 Pegasus took off from Lajes in the Azores and avoided flying over Spanish airspace on their way for aerial refueling.
The number of operations has increased compared to the usual
Sánchez has found a balance as a leader against Trumpism in his international projection - The Wall Street Journal dedicated a long profile to him on Thursday for his stance - and as an internal leader of the left's narrative while Rota continues its activity. The No to war stance became a topic of debate in political rallies during the Castilla y León campaign. And it paid off. On March 15, in the autonomous elections, the PSOE gained two seats and managed to neutralize the parties to its left. Podemos lost its only seat, and the coalition IU-Sumar did not win any. This was despite the use of the Rota and Morón bases and the increase in "billions" of Defense spending, as highlighted on Thursday by the Secretary-General of NATO, Mark Rutte, when presenting the annual report of the NATO.
Additionally, Sánchez's stance has also garnered sympathy from Iran, even though their ambassador in Spain was the only one summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this month, without reprimanding either the US representative or that of Israel, which has been very critical of the Government on social media. Despite this, Iran's propaganda machine has used Sánchez. First, they distributed a video showing stickers with the president's face on Iranian missiles. Then, on Thursday, they posted a message from the Embassy stating: "Iran considers Spain a country committed to international law, so it is receptive to any request from Madrid." A message accompanied by a graph indicating the Strait of Hormuz.