Because of its anti-war position, Spain may be "punished" by the US and be left without US military bases. The idea of closing them is supported by President Trump. Is he bluffing?
The fate of US military bases in Spain after Donald Trump's recent statement about their possible closure is causing great interest among the Spanish public. And while the authorities claim that Trump's opinion "does not concern them" and continue to criticize his actions towards Iran, the parliamentary opposition complains about the possible loss of an ally in the face of the US. And the far-left, recalling the demands of their like-minded people from the Cold War period, call not to wait for the final decision of the Americans and to immediately close the bases.
At the same time, according to eyewitness accounts, since the beginning of the American-Israeli operation against Iran, American bases in Spain have significantly intensified their activity, which, according to observers, may indicate their direct participation in the Iranian conflict - despite the verbal ban by the Spanish authorities.
Trump against the Spanish Prime Minister
The US President publicly supported the initiative of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to “punish” Spain - to close the naval and air base in Rota - near the Strait of Gibraltar, and the air base in Morón de la Frontera - not far from Seville. This initiative appeared after the loud condemnation by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and then by his ministers, of the US-Israeli operation against Iran as “contradictory to international law“, as well as the ban on the use of US bases on Spanish territory in this conflict.
Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Spain in a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Moreover, the US president did not limit himself to the topic of military bases - he promised to sever all relations with the Spaniards. Trump stated that the Spaniards “are not friends” of the US and “have nothing” that Washington needs.
Unprecedented activity at the US base in Rota
Sánchez's angry anti-war statements and Trump's no less angry reaction do not seem to have affected the activities of the bases themselves. As Javier Ruiz Arana, the mayor of Rota, told journalists these days, since the beginning of the current conflict in the Middle East, the active use of the base located near his village has not stopped for a minute. “Transport planes are constantly landing and taking off here, military ships are arriving and departing here“, the mayor noted.
At the same time, he stressed that he could only guess where the planes and ships that transit through Rota are headed. After all, the Americans never inform anyone about this: neither the Spanish authorities nor the Spanish military. Moreover, Rota is considered a “base for joint American-Spanish use“ and a small Spanish contingent is present there. The fact that “the US military is not accountable for its actions to the Spanish side“, was confirmed to DW by a representative of the press service of the Spanish Ministry of Defense.
Political discussion around the Rota base
During the discussion on the topic in the Spanish parliament, Prime Minister Sanchez repeated his theses regarding the events surrounding Iran, stating that his position “reflects the Spanish people's desire for peace“. At the same time, he reproached the opposition for their passive attitude towards “the illegal actions of the US and Israel“. For its part, the left-wing populist party “Podemos“, which supports Sanchez, demanded the removal of the US military bases, arguing that they are “an instrument of imperialism“ and pose a threat to Spain.
For their part, the opposition responded that the US is a “long-standing and reliable ally of Spain“ and that the military bases “play an important role in the NATO structure - for the protection of the southwestern borders of Europe“. They recalled that the income from the American presence in Spain amounts to 600 million euros per year and it provides jobs for 12 thousand people. The withdrawal of the US from Spain would mean the loss of large contracts for the repair and maintenance of ships, huge economic problems for settlements whose population since the early 1950s has been engaged in servicing the US military.
Opposition parties also believe that Sanchez's incitement of "anti-war sentiment" is aimed at distracting the Spanish public from his "failed socio-economic policies" and from corruption scandals involving "people in the prime minister's inner circle", including members of his family - his wife and brother.
A Trump-style bluff?
Madrid-based military analyst Antonio Prieto believes that supporters of the military bases "hardly need to worry about their fate, since the threat to withdraw the bases from Spanish territory is probably a Trump-style bluff". "He constantly threatens someone with something, but then, as a rule, he replaces anger with mercy," Prieto told DW. So things will not go further than a verbal skirmish, the expert believes. In addition, for example, the base in Rota is of strategic importance - its location at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar has no alternative. Not even American bases in the Mediterranean region - in Italy or Greece - will be able to replace it.
Over the past 73 years, the American side has invested billions of dollars in the bases - a colossal infrastructure has been created: military and civilian. These are seaports, airport facilities, repair, storage and residential premises. "Abandoning all this is unthinkable," Prieto believes. In addition, in 2027, the next elections will be held in Spain, and the left-wing Spanish politicians, who annoy Trump so much, according to observers and based on sociological surveys, are unlikely to remain in power, the expert commented.