The Spanish Government refused to provide any military support to the operation launched by the United States and Israel against Iran and refused to authorize the use of North American bases in Spanish territory for this purpose, in a different position to that adopted by Portugal in relation to the use of the Lajes Base.
The decision also places Pedro Sánchez’s government in a different position from that taken by France, Germany and the United Kingdom, which admitted the possibility of “proportional offensive actions” in response to Tehran’s attacks against Persian Gulf countries and Cyprus.
Quoted by the newspaper The Country, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, stated that “each country makes its own decisions in foreign policy”, stressing that the Spanish position is clear: Europe must assume “a voice of balance and moderation”, work towards de-escalation and promote a return to negotiations.
Albares condemned Iran’s “absolutely unjustified” attacks, in particular against Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, and expressed solidarity with Nicosia. Still, he opted for a diplomatic response. The Iranian ambassador in Madrid was summoned to hear Spain’s formal condemnation and call for an immediate end to hostilities, and the minister recalled that around 30,000 Spanish citizens are in the region.
The refusal to support the military operation had immediate effects, according to El País. The Pentagon removed a dozen KC-135 refueling planes that were deployed at the Morón de la Frontera base, in Seville, and, in smaller numbers, at the Rota base, in Cádiz. The aircraft were intended to fuel American fighter-bombers in flight.
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, also assured that Spain “did not provide and will not provide” any type of assistance to the attack. As he explained, the bilateral agreement that governs the military presence of the United States in Spanish territory can only be applied “within the framework of international legality”. In the current situation, he argued, these are unilateral actions that do not have the support of multilateral organizations such as the UN, NATO or the European Union.
“The bases will not provide support, unless it is necessary from a humanitarian point of view,” said Robles, adding that, in the absence of an international resolution that legitimizes the operation, the treaty is not applicable.
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