The Pentagon raises in an internal email suspending Spain from NATO, according to Reuters

Barcelona/MadridThe Pentagon would be considering suspending Spain from NATO, among other proposals to punish countries that have not supported US operations in the war with Iran. This is indicated by an email that has circulated among senior officials of the War Department —formerly the Department of Defense— of the United States, according to an official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

This and other political options —such as reviewing the United States' position on the British claim to the Falkland Islands— are detailed in a note expressing frustration with allies over the lack of cooperation in military operations in the Middle East. Still according to Reuters, the message emphasizes the reluctance or refusal of some allies to grant the United States access, base, and overflight rights (known as ABO) for operations in the Middle East in recent months. The email stated that ABO is "only the absolute minimum for NATO." In response, the text foresees suspending "difficult" countries from important positions in the Atlantic Alliance.

On this matter, Sánchez said at the entrance to the informal summit of European Union leaders in Cyprus that they do not work based on emails but on "official documents" and "positions of the United States government." In this regard, he expressed "absolute collaboration with allies but always within international legality."

President Trump has harshly criticized NATO allies for not having sent their marines to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed to international maritime transport after the start of the air war on February 28. He has also stated that he is considering the United States' withdrawal from the alliance. The email argues that the option of suspending Spain from NATO would have a limited effect on US military operations, but a significant symbolic impact. However, the letter does not suggest that the United States withdraw or close any bases in Europe.

Now, many doubts arise about how this "suspension" could be practically achieved, as there is no such clause in the founding treaty of NATO. "There is no mechanism that allows suspending or expelling any NATO member state," Rafael Grasa, professor emeritus of international relations at the UAB, tells ARA. The expert explains that the only mechanism for a country to leave the Alliance is the activation of Article 13, which states that any country can withdraw of its own volition twenty years after the signing of the treaty, which was in 1949.

Furthermore, Grasa questions that the United States can reproach the rest of the partners for not having played a more active role in the Middle East — for example, for abstaining from deploying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — because Washington did not inform them of its intention to start the war. "In this treaty, there is a consultation clause, which is Article 4, that the U.S. did not use," he says. What Trump could do is sideline or not grant Spaniards positions of relevance within the organization through political pressure.

On the other hand, regarding a possible withdrawal of the United States from NATO, Grasa dismisses this possibility in the short term. "Any withdrawal of the U.S. from NATO would require a two-thirds majority of the Senate or the approval of a specific law, which [Trump] cannot do. Therefore, Trump cannot leave NATO and no one can expel or suspend Spain," he concludes.

According to the expert, the letter is part of a strategy of "rhetoric and threats" that seeks to divert attention from the armed conflict rather than execute a real action plan. For Grasa, this move is a symptom that "NATO is practically dead," a thesis he supports by recalling the Trump administration's attempts to empty the organization of substance and the constant threats to cut its funding.