Fifteen US aircraft left military bases in Rota and Morón in southern Spain after the government in Madrid said the facilities on its territory could not be used for attacks on Iran.
American planes at the Spanish base Rota/PHOTO:X
Data published by flight monitoring website FlightRadar24 shows that several aircraft took off over the weekend in the context of operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian targets. At least seven of the aircraft landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the bases jointly operated by the US and Spain — but under Spanish sovereignty — will not be used for military action against Iran, which Madrid has condemned. “The Spanish bases are not used for this operation and will not be used for anything that is not provided for in the agreement with the United States or that does not respect the United Nations Charter,” he told Telecinco.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the aircraft — mainly aerial refueling tankers, including the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker — were permanently stationed in Spain. According to flight data, nine such aircraft took off from the Morón base on Sunday, heading for Germany. Other flights departed from Rota, some with the destination of the south of France.
Robles said the withdrawal of the aircraft came after Madrid banned the use of the bases for operations against Iran, suggesting that the US side “probably made these moves knowing that the aircraft cannot operate” from Spanish territory in the current context.
A 1953 bilateral agreement gives Spain a say in the use of US forces stationed on its territory. Officials in Madrid stressed that the bases were not involved in Saturday's attacks and would not be used for maintenance or support operations, except for those of a humanitarian nature.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was among the few European leaders to strongly condemn Washington's actions, which he described as a “violation of international law”. At the same time, Spanish officials specified that Madrid's position does not reflect any support for the regime in Tehran, which they characterized as “terrible and dictatorial”, but insisted that “violence can never be the solution”.
Spain's stance puts it on a distinct note from other Western allies and could heighten diplomatic tensions with Washington at a time of regional escalation.
