Spain has closed its airspace to US aircraft involved in attacks on Iran, stressing that it had made its position clear to the United States from the beginning of the war with Iran.
According to a report by the BBC, Spain’s Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, said Madrid would not permit US planes linked to the conflict to operate from Spanish territory or transit its airspace.
Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister, José Manuel Albares, said the decision is aimed at preventing any move that could escalate the conflict.
The US government did not immediately respond, although President Donald Trump had previously warned Spain it could face a full trade embargo over its opposition to the war. Since the conflict began in late February, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been among the most outspoken critics of the US-Israeli strikes, calling them reckless and illegal.
Earlier in March, Sánchez said Spain had already denied the US the use of the jointly operated military bases at Rota and Morón in southern Spain.
He later announced that all flight plans connected to operations against Iran had been rejected, including those involving refuelling aircraft.
The Spanish leader said the country would not participate in what he described as an illegal war and insisted Spain was acting as a sovereign nation.
Some US bombers involved in the operations are currently based at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom after Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved a US request earlier in March, the BBC reported.
Aircraft flying from the base will now have to avoid most of the Iberian Peninsula, instead taking routes over the Atlantic or through French airspace.
The report added that Spanish authorities would only allow US aircraft to transit Spanish airspace or land at the military bases in emergency situations.
Spain has maintained its opposition to the war while warning that the ongoing conflict, particularly tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, could continue to disrupt global oil supplies.