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, the defense minister said Monday, marking another step in the government's opposition to U.S. and Israeli involvement in the conflict in the Middle East.

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

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Monday that 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.

Spain’s government under Sánchez, one of Europe's most prominent left-wing leaders, has been Europe’s loudest opposing voice against U.S. and Israeli military actions in the Middle East.

He has 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.

It was the latest flare-up between Spain and the U.S., which made trade threats against the European nation last year, too, when Sánchez said that his government wouldn't increase its defense spending in accordance with a ramp-up agreed to by other NATO members following pressure from Trump.

At the time, Sánchez's government said that 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 was also among the most vocal critics of Israel's actions in the war in Gaza, which invited criticism from Israel's government on several occasions.

“I think everyone knows Spain’s position; it’s very clear,” Robles said, calling the war in Iran “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.”