Spain closes the country's airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war

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MADRID (AP) — Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war, its defense minister said Monday, marking the latest step by Europe's loudest opponent of U.S. and Israeli involvement in the conflict in the Middle East.

The country earlier said the U.S. couldn't use jointly operated military bases in the conflict, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described as illegal, reckless and unjust.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the same logic applied to the use of Spanish airspace in the conflict.

“This was made perfectly clear to the American military and forces from the very beginning. Therefore, neither the bases are authorized, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorized for any actions related to the war in Iran,” Robles told reporters, and called the war in Iran “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.”

Sánchez, one of Europe's most prominent left-wing leaders, called on the U.S., Israel and Iran to end the war, saying earlier this month: “You cannot respond to one illegality with another, because that’s how humanity’s great disasters begin.”

After Sánchez's government denied the U.S. use of the Rota and Morón military bases in southern Spain, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with Madrid.

The U.S. made trade threats last year, too, when Sánchez said his government wouldn't increase its defense spending in accordance with one agreed to by other NATO members following Trump's pressure.

At the time, Sánchez's government said Spain could meet its military commitments by spending 2.1% of gross domestic product on defense, instead of the 5% the rest of the 32-nation military alliance agreed upon.

Sánchez also has been among the most vocal critics of Israel's actions in the war in Gaza, which has invited criticism from Israel's government on several occasions.

Spain's new decision against a NATO ally is rare, though not unprecedented. NATO did not comment, referring questions to national authorities.

In an incident that strained transatlantic ties, France and Italy blocked the U.S. military from using their airspace for an operation targeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 1986.

In 2003, Turkey refused to allow U.S. troops to use its territory to invade Iraq, though it did allow overflights. France and Germany firmly opposed that war but allowed U.S. and British fighter jets to fly over their airspace.

France’s then-Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin — despite a famed U.N. speech against the Bush administration’s plans to invade — told the French Parliament at the time that ″there are practices between allies that exist that we must respect, including overflight rights.″