The U.S. does not need help from Spain “or anyone else” after the government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez closed off Spanish airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in Operation Epic Fury, a White House spokesperson confirmed Monday.
“The United States Military is meeting or surpassing all of its goals under Operation Epic Fury and does not need help from Spain or anyone else,” the White House official reportedly told Newsweek.
Similar remarks were given to other outlets such as Fox News and the Spanish newspapers ABC and El País.
On Monday, Spanish government officials confirmed it closed off its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in the ongoing military operations against Iran’s Islamic regime, barring U.S. planes from utilizing the Spanish bases in Rota, Cádiz and Morón de la Frontera, Seville while at the same time, prohibiting U.S. aircraft stationed in third countries from passing through Spanish airspace.
The prohibition was reported by El País on Monday morning and confirmed by Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and other officials hours later.
“From the very beginning, this was made crystal clear to the U.S. side and to U.S. forces; therefore, neither the use of the bases nor, of course, the use of Spanish airspace for operations related to the war in Iran is authorized,” Robles told reporters on Monday, per El Español.
“Spain will under no circumstances authorize — nor has it ever authorized, nor does it currently authorize, nor will it ever authorize — the use of the Rota and Morón bases to wage a war that we are totally opposed to, in which we do not believe, and which we consider deeply illegal and deeply unjust,” she continued.
The minister reportedly clarified that the United States may only use the Spanish bases for operations provided for in bilateral agreements.
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reports that, in response to a request from the center-right People’s Party (PP), Robles is set to appear before Congress on Tuesday to report on the national security implications of the Spanish government’s policies and stance adopted with regards to the U.S. and Israel’s actions against Iran.
Prime Minister Sánchez has maintained a purported “neutral” stance towards the ongoing war in Iran and has, through different statements and remarks, claimed that the Spanish government’s position with regards to the conflict is, “no to war.”
On Sunday, Sánchez published a letter addressing members of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) reiterating his stance against the war on grounds that “we socialists are here for this. To defend peace.”
“That is why, when we Socialists are in government, we act accordingly. We stood with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” Sánchez’s letter read in part. “We demanded an end to the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. And now we are shouting, loud and clear, that this illegal war must end now.”
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