Donald Trump’s administration has on many occasions expressed its discomfort with NATO when it understands that they have not obtained the support they expected for the war in Iran. The US president himself has explained more than once his “disappointment” with the countries of the Alliance and in particular with Spain.
Trump’s disagreement with Spain has to do with Defense spending and also with the use of the North American bases located in our country, those of Rota and Morón, which the Government has reiterated cannot be used for a conflict like the one in Iran.
Now, to the words of Trump and people from his administration, the latest information from Reuters is added: an alleged email from the Pentagon considers the suspension of Spain from NATO after the position adopted with the war in Iran.
What the NATO Treaty says about the expulsion of countries
Can the United States force out Spain or any other country? The reality is that the NATO Treaty does not reflect in its articles any possibility of expelling a country that is a member of the Atlantic Alliance. Only Article 13 includes the possibility of leaving for a member country that decides to do so voluntarily.
However, there is the possibility of diplomatic ‘isolation’ that would mean leaving Spain out of the decision-making bodies, as well as the suspension of military cooperation between nations, all of this added to the political pressure that the US could exert on NATO itself and on Spain, also with economic ‘sanctions’ such as the tariffs that Trump announced.
What happens if Spain leaves NATO
In the event that Spain were to leave NATO, a highly unlikely scenario, the first consequence it would have to face is not being protected by the collective defense of the allies in the event of an attack from another country.
The President of the Government himself has spoken out about the alleged email and wanted to downplay its importance. Thus, Sánchez assures that the Spanish Executive does not work on emails, but on official documents, and complies with its obligations.
“The position of the Government of Spain is clear: absolute collaboration with the allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he added.
