An internal Pentagon email listed options for the United States to punish NATO allies who refused to support US operations in the ongoing war with Iran. According to a US official who spoke to the Reuters, the options included suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the US position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands.
The email expressed frustration at certain allies’ hesitation to provide the US with ABO – access, basing, and overflight rights – against Iran, as per the official who chose to remain anonymous. The email reportedly said that ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO.”
According to the official, an option in the email mentions suspending “difficult” countries from important positions at the alliance.
US President Donald Trump had previously slammed NATO allies for not sending their naval forces to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which was imposed by a blockade from Iran following the initial days of the war. He had also mentioned considering to withdraw from the alliance.
“Wouldn’t you if you were me?” he told Reuters on April 1.
When asked to comment, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said, “As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they were not there for us.”
“The War Department will ensure that the President has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part. We have no further comment on any internal deliberations to that effect,” added Wilson.
Britain, France, and others had said that joining the US naval blockade would mean entering the war, but that they were willing to help keep the Strait open once there was a long-standing ceasefire.
The US specifically called out Spain, where the Socialist leadership said it would not allow its bases or airspaces to be used to attack Iran. The US has two important military bases in spain – Naval Station Rota and Moron Air Base. The email argued that the option to suspend Spain would have a limited effect on US military operations but a significant symbolic impact.
The email also included an option to consider reassessing the US diplomatic support for European “imperial possessions”, such as the Falkland Islands near Argentina. Britain and Argentina were involved in a war in 1982 over the disputed islands, resulting in a British victory after the death of 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British troops.
The official said the policy options are meant to send a strong message to NATO allies with the goal of “decreasing the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans”.
