The Pentagon suggests in an email the possibility of suspending Spain from NATO. Therefore, expelling it due to the country's refusal to assist US President Donald Trump in the Iran war, as reported by Reuters.
The same agency points out that the US Department of Defense is exploring ways to punish allies that have not collaborated in Iran, and the note also expresses "frustration" with those nations that have refused to grant the US access, bases, and overflight rights - known as ABO. This includes countries like Spain. "It is simply the absolute minimum basis for NATO," a US official stated in the information cited.
Upon learning of this significant revelation, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez has tried to downplay it. "We do not work based on emails, we work based on official documents and positions taken, in this case, by the US Government. The position of the Spanish Government is one of absolute collaboration with allies, but always within the framework of international legality," he stated initially from Nicosia (Cyprus), where he is participating in the second day of the European Council.
"We are good allies of NATO, we have forces deployed in Eastern Europe to defend territorial integrity," he continued. "For the first time since 2014, this year we have reached that 2.1%, therefore, from our point of view, there is no debate: we meet our obligations, we are deployed in areas requested by countries. Absolute tranquility," he emphasized.
However, the message, combined with numerous criticisms from Trump himself, does not exactly convey tranquility. It is true, above all, that NATO does not consider expelling a country. It must be the nation itself that requests to stop being part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But at the same time, it is not at all positive that the main ally of the Alliance continually attacks Spain. And it is not just bombastic statements from the magnate; what is revealed today are internal documents from the Department of Defense led by Pete Hegseth.
"As President Trump has said, despite all that the United States has done for its NATO allies, they were not there for us. The Department of Defense will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies stop being paper tigers and do their part," stated Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson when asked about the information. The tension and harshness of his words are evident.
Ankara Summit: July 7 and 8
All this occurs very close to the NATO summit scheduled for July 7 and 8 in Ankara, Turkey. Trump's presence has not been confirmed yet, but the meeting will be very relevant regardless: if he does not attend, it would be a historic snub, and if he does, the pressure on some partners, especially Spain, would be significant. As it was in the previous meeting in The Hague, where all partners, except Spain, committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP.
"Spain stated that the capabilities requested by NATO could be met with 2.1% of our GDP, and that is precisely what we have done this year," Sánchez also recalled on Friday. With budgets extended until 2023, the Government continues to deploy the strategy of increasing defense spending through economic engineering, with agreements in the Council of Ministers that allow it to bypass Congress, where its partners reject increasing military spending.
Just a few weeks ago, for example, a Cabinet meeting approved an agreement authorizing the Ministry of Finance to transfer a credit to the Ministry of Defense in the amount of 1,339.5 million. The only explanation provided by the Executive was that it was to "address unavoidable needs." No further details were given.