Spanish airspace is closed to illegal war

Pablo Fernández, a lawmaker for the left-wing Podemos, insisted that Spain needed to go further and leave NATO altogether: “We must expel US soldiers from Spanish bases.”

More than just a “no” to the use of military bases: Spain has also closed its airspace to all military aircraft operating in the “illegal war” against Iran. 

The news made headlines around the world on Monday after Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed: “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.” This statement arrived shortly after the daily El País broke the news on its front page. Robles described the war as “profoundly illegal and deeply unjust.”

According to Spain's leading newspaper, Madrid “not only prohibits the use of the air bases in Rota (Cadiz) and Morón de la Frontera (Seville) by fighter jets or tanker aircraft involved in the attack, but also denies its airspace to US aircraft stationed in third countries, such as the United Kingdom or France, according to military sources.”

The newspaper emphasized that there would be exceptions to this ban. One is in the event of an emergency, which would allow an aircraft to fly over or land in Spain. The second type of exception applies to all operations covered by the bilateral agreement with the United States: logistical support for the 80,000 troops stationed in Europe who, in principle, should not be involved in the war in Iran.

According to the newspaper's detailed reconstruction of events, in the weeks leading up to the start of the conflict, Washington and Madrid negotiated the possibility of deploying tanker and bomber aircraft on Spanish soil with the aim of putting pressure on Tehran, but within the context of the negotiations underway at that time. When it became clear that the US operation did not have the approval of any international body (the UN, NATO or the EU), the plan was withdrawn.

Historically, it was only once, during the first Gulf War in 1991, that the government of Felipe González authorized the use of the Morón de la Frontera base as a platform to directly attack a third country. As a consequence of the lack of legal cover for the military action, the roughly 15 tanker aircraft already on Spanish soil – necessary to extend the range of military flights – were ordered to take off and head to bases in Germany and France.

There are two direct consequences of this Spanish decision. The first is that military aircraft coming from the UK are forced to consume more fuel due to having to fly around the Iberian Peninsula. The second is that the bomb payload per aircraft is lower: the capacity required for fuel has to compete with the space available for bombs.

An anonymous Air Force source explained to the newspaper El Periódico that “the US retains the right to fly over international waters. The Strait of Gibraltar is considered an international waterway: it is an area under Spanish air control, but not entirely under Spanish sovereignty.” In other words, planes flying around the peninsula pass through there. According to this same source, reconnaissance aircraft flying at altitudes above 65,000 feet “pass through airspace that is practically uncontrollable.” These are aircraft used to identify military targets for Israeli-US bombing campaigns, and they cannot be blocked from the airspace.

In response to claims by the right-wing daily El Mundo that at least 70 US military flights had used the bases since the start of the conflict, Robles stated that the flights in question were military transport aircraft, not fighter jets or mid-air refueling planes.

The right-wing People's Party, through its Senate spokesperson Alicia García, described the Spanish government's position as “cobbled together,” adding: “It weakens us at the international level.” Pablo Fernández, a lawmaker for the left-wing Podemos, insisted that Spain needed to go further and leave NATO altogether: “We must expel US soldiers from Spanish bases.”

The White House's dismissive response came shortly afterwards, insisting that it had no need for Spain's help – or that of any other country – for the military operation in Iran.

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