Madrid bars US from using Spanish bases to attack Iran

Politico Europe · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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The U.S. pulled its warplanes from Spanish bases after Madrid prohibited their use against Iran, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said today. Missions involving the bases must "operate within the framework of international law," the minister said during a press conference at the Armilla Air Base, adding that military installations on Spanish territory would be prohibited from "providing support except if it is necessary from a humanitarian perspective." Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 recorded over a dozen U.S. aircraft — among them, several Boeing KC-135 aerial refueling tankers — leaving the Morón de la Frontera and Rota airbases this weekend, with seven deploying to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Robles said the U.S. had "likely made those moves because they knew the aircraft could not operate" from Spain.