Trump Administration Considers Suspending Spain From NATO Over Iran War Support

A leaked internal Pentagon email obtained by Reuters is at the center of a dispute over whether the Trump administration is considering ways to “punish” NATO member states that did not support U.S. operations during the war with Iran.

“NATO treaty has no provision to suspend or expel members, official says Remarks come amid reports of possible US measures targeting Spain Melike Pala 24 April 2026•Update: 24 April 2026 BRUSSELS NATO’s founding treaty contains no provisions allowing for the suspension or expulsion of member states, an alliance official said Friday, amid reports that the US had considered measures targeting Spain”

Anadolu Ajansı

The reports say the Pentagon is considering suspending Spain’s NATO membership for not supporting military operations and re-evaluating the U.S. stance on the UK’s sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands.

Anadolu Ajansı

The email frames the issue around access, basing, and overflight rights during the conflict, describing the “use of bases and airspace passage” as “the absolute foundation of NATO.”

In the same reporting, a U.S. Department of Defense official who requested anonymity told Reuters that “The purpose of this email is to reduce the sense of entitlement among Europeans,” adding that “The card of suspending Spain’s NATO membership will have a greater symbolic impact than military benefits.”

Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson responded to a request for comment by saying, “As President Trump mentioned, even though the U.S. did everything for NATO allies, they were not on our side.”

Wilson also said, “The Department of Defense will ensure the president has reliable options to make allies perform substantive roles rather than remain ‘paper tigers,’” and added, “There is nothing further to discuss regarding internal deliberations.”

The reported U.S. pressure is tied to Spain’s refusal to support the Iran blockade and to deny U.S. access during the conflict, including by blocking the use of a joint U.S. military base and banning U.S. military aircraft from passing through its airspace.

The reports say Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was singled out as the Western leader who most strongly opposed Trump, with the Spanish government denying the use of a joint U.S. military base last month and completely banning U.S. military aircraft from passing through its airspace.

BBC

The internal email also links the NATO dispute to the Falkland Islands, described as near Argentina and currently under British jurisdiction, while also being claimed by the Argentine government.

Reuters reporting cited in multiple outlets says discussions are underway to reconsider U.S. diplomatic support for the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands.

In the same reporting, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the U.S. counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and refused military support, while Trump denounced Starmer’s position as “cowardly” and disparaged the UK’s aircraft carrier as a “toy.”

The reports also say the U.S. frustration followed the launch of “Epic Fury” operations, after European allies rejected Trump’s request for military support to counter Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

TRT World adds that some countries, including France, Spain and Italy, did not allow U.S. military aircraft deployed for the war to overfly their territories or to use bases, while Britain initially refused but later allowed U.S. flights from its bases for “defensive” missions.

European leaders and NATO-related officials moved quickly to frame the reported options as either unrealistic or politically unacceptable.

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Breakingthenews.net

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged NATO allies to stick together, telling reporters as she attended an EU summit in Greek-administered Cyprus that, “NATO must remain united. I believe it is a source of strength.”

A German government spokesperson said Spain’s NATO membership was not in question, responding to a journalist’s question by saying, “Spain is a member of NATO. And I see no reason why that should change,” during a regular news conference in Berlin.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose country was reportedly singled out for suspension, said he was “not worried,” stressing his country was a “reliable member” of NATO, and he added, “Spain’s position is clear: full cooperation with allies, but always within the framework of international law,” according to TRT World.

Anadolu Ajansı quoted an alliance official saying NATO’s founding (Washington) Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of membership or expulsion, stating, “NATO’s founding (Washington) Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of membership or expulsion.”

Breakingthenews.net similarly reported a NATO spokesperson telling Europa Press that, “The NATO founding treaty contains no provisions regarding the suspension of NATO membership, expulsion, or limited participation.”

In parallel, Spanish officials rejected the premise of internal correspondence, with POLITICO reporting Sánchez said, “No worries,” and that his government “does not comment on emails, but rather on official documents and positions taken, in this case, by the United States.”

While the underlying Reuters reporting about the Pentagon email is consistent across multiple outlets, the emphasis and tone vary in how each publication describes what the email means and what mechanisms exist.

Euronews frames the leaked email as revealing “US anger” and says it “hints at pressure over defence spending,” describing options to “penalise” NATO countries that rejected calls to assist in the Iran war, including “suspending Spain’s membership of NATO” and “undermining US support for the UK's territorial control of the Falklands.”

commonspace.eu

Euronews also quotes a senior NATO source saying the tone expressed in the email is “not surprising” given Trump’s “unhappiness with Europe, and particularly Spain,” and it includes a quote from Trump describing Spain as a “laggard” and saying, “Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly,” which Euronews attributes to Trump.

By contrast, the Kyiv Independent reports a NATO official telling it that Trump cannot suspend Spain’s NATO membership over Madrid’s refusal to support Washington’s operation against Iran, quoting, “NATO's Founding Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership, or expulsion.”

The Ukrainian National News (UNN) outlet goes further into legal realism, stating that “there is no such mechanism in the current North Atlantic Treaty” and that NATO stated that there are “no provisions” for expelling allies after reports of US discussions regarding Spain.

Commonspace.eu describes the Pentagon email’s aim as reducing what officials describe as a European “sense of entitlement,” and it says the option to suspend Spain from the alliance would have “a limited effect on US military operations but a significant symbolic impact.”

TRT World emphasizes NATO unity and includes Meloni’s “source of strength” framing, while also quoting a German spokesperson and Sanchez’s “not worried” response.

The reported dispute carries immediate political consequences for alliance cohesion and for how the U.S. and European governments coordinate on the Iran conflict and on NATO commitments.

“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded to reports that the Pentagon had considered suspending Spain from NATO by stressing that Spain is a “loyal partner” that meets its “responsibilities” within the Alliance — always, he said, “within the framework of international law”

EL PAÍS English

TRT World says the EU is set to lay out a “blueprint” for how its own mutual assistance clause works if a country is attacked, while Meloni insisted that NATO would remain central to Europe’s defence and that European nations needed to play a bigger role in their own security.

EL PAÍS English

Euronews adds that experts say it’s not possible for Spain’s NATO membership to be suspended by the US, and it quotes former British Army Captain Dr. Patrick Bury saying, “You can’t kick people out of NATO unless there’s been a material breach of process, which in the case of Spain there is absolutely no evidence.”

Euronews also reports that Trump’s verbal attacks and threats to withdraw from NATO are “ever more frequent,” and it quotes Trump dismissing the alliance as a “paper tiger” and accusing allies of leaving him stranded over Iran.

In the background of the leaked email, POLITICO reports that the NATO founding treaty only contemplates voluntary withdrawals requiring a one-year notice period, and it quotes Oana Lungescu saying, “It’s hard to know how seriously we should take such emails beyond ideological trolling.”

The Kyiv Independent notes that Trump has floated withdrawing the U.S. from NATO and intensified pressure on individual members, calling Spain “a terrible ally,” while also stating that Spain has remained a military and financial supporter of Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, including by supplying tanks.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s Kingsley Wilson said the Department of Defense would ensure the president has “reliable options” to make allies perform substantive roles rather than remain “paper tigers,” and that there was “nothing further to discuss regarding internal deliberations,” leaving the next step unclear but framed as a shift from internal deliberations to potential policy actions.