Based on all the information I have, the bases are not being used for this military operation,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Spanish public television on Monday.
Spain has stated that the United States is not using and will not use joint military bases on Spanish soil for operations against Iran, a campaign strongly condemned by Madrid.
“Based on all the information I have, the bases are not being used for this military operation,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Spanish public television on Monday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which began on Saturday, calling them an “unjustified” and “dangerous military intervention” outside the bounds of international law marking another departure from US policy.
“The Spanish government will not authorize the use of the bases for any operation beyond the agreed terms or inconsistent with United Nations rules,” Albares said, referring to the Rota naval base and the Morón airbase.
While the US operates at the bases under a joint-use agreement, they remain under Spanish sovereignty.
Defence Minister Margarita Robles added that the bases “will not provide support, except if, in specific cases, it is required for humanitarian purposes.”
Spain also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries.
Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 on Monday showed that 15 US aircraft had departed bases in southern Spain since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. At least seven of the planes were tracked landing at Ramstein airbase in Germany.
Spain’s position contrasts with most major European countries.
The United Kingdom had initially refused to allow US use of its bases for an attack on Iran.
However, on Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized their use for “collective self-defense,” amid Iranian counterattacks targeting US assets across the Middle East and Gulf energy infrastructure.
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