THE US is exploring options to punish key NATO allies – including Spain and Britain – for not joining the war in Iran, an internal Pentagon email suggests.
The note sets out measures such as suspending Spain from NATO or reviewing US support for Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a US official told Reuters.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the ideas were being discussed at senior levels within the Pentagon.
The move comes as frustration grows in Washington over several NATO members refusing to send naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz or allow their military bases to be used in operations against Iran.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez downplayed the report on Friday, saying Spain only acts on ‘official documents and government positions.’
“The position of the Spanish Government is clear: full cooperation with allies, but always within the framework of international law,” he told reporters.
According to Reuters, the email described ‘access, basing and overflight rights’ at NATO facilities as the ‘absolute baseline’ for cooperation between allies.
But at the start of the war on February 28, Madrid denied the US permission to use its bases of Rota and Moron for strikes on Iran, prompting US president Donald Trump to threaten a trade embargo on Spain.
Trump had previously also criticised Sanchez over Spain’s refusal to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.
As tensions over the Iran war continue to rise, the email suggests Washington is now prepared to step up pressure on allies resisting its approach.
The email did not specify how the US might go about suspending Spain from the alliance, and it remains unclear whether there is an existing ?process at NATO to do so.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly called on NATO allies to support operations in the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran shut the waterway for more than a month in response to US-Israeli strikes.
The Strait is a key global shipping route, and its closure triggered sharp volatility and soaring prices in international oil markets.
The US has since imposed a blockade on the Strait in an effort to restore freedom of movement – but Britain, France and other allies argue that joining the US-led operation would be tantamount to entering the war.
As Trump’s frustration with NATO allies mounts, one of the more striking ideas discussed in the Pentagon email is a possible rethink of US diplomatic positions on long-standing territorial disputes involving European allies.
This includes the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory claimed by Argentina.
Any change in the US position would mark a clear shift from its traditionally neutral stance on the issue, which has been carefully maintained for decades due to its sensitivity.
The islands were the focus of a brief but intense war in 1982 between Britain and Argentina, which ended in Argentine surrender after more than 900 military deaths on both sides.
Separately, tensions between Washington and London have also surfaced, with Trump criticising UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s reluctance to join US military action in Iran and questioning the UK’s military strength in recent comments.
Britain initially turned down a US request to support offensive operations from its bases, later agreeing only to limited defensive missions in the region following Iranian retaliation.
Click here to read more International Affairs News from The Olive Press.
