Sailors assigned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, stand in formation during a change of command ceremony in June 2025. (Drace Wilson/U.S. Navy)
STUTTGART, Germany — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that the United States will need to reexamine its security relationship with NATO partner Spain and others in the alliance, after some European countries balked at lending assistance for operations against Iran.
Rubio, who before becoming secretary of state was a vocal supporter of NATO, on Monday questioned the utility of keeping overseas bases if they can’t be used in a crisis.
“If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio said Monday on Al Jazeera. “That’s a hard one to stay engaged in and say this is good for the United States. So all that’s going to have to be reexamined.”
Rubio’s comments could have major implications for NATO and Washington’s ties with the alliance. President Donald Trump has long been critical of NATO, but during his first term he did not fundamentally alter the U.S. approach to the alliance, in part due to pushback from top officials who held more traditional views.
Rubio, however, suggested the current base arrangement needed to be adjusted. He blasted Spain in particular for denying the use of its bases for Iran operations at the outset of the campaign and on Monday denied access to its airspace for military overflights related to the operation.
“We have countries like Spain, a NATO member, that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it. Denying us the use of their bases. And there are other countries that have done that as well,” said Rubio, who didn’t specify what other countries he had in mind. “And so you ask yourself, ‘Well, what is in it for the United States?’”
On Tuesday, multiple Italian news agencies, citing unnamed defense ministry officials, reported that the use of Naval Air Station Sigonella for operations against Iran also was denied. The Italian defense ministry later denied reports that it had cut off access to the base in Sigonella, while a Pentagon official told Stars and Stripes that the cooperation agreements between the militaries of Italy and the United States “remain strong.”
Later Tuesday, Trump took aim at France over a related issue. In a post to his Truth Social website, Trump complained that France “wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory.”
“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!” Trump added.
Spain’s stance underscores the broader strategic importance of U.S. basing in the country. Spain has long served as the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea for the U.S. Navy, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into its base in Rota over the years. The location is home to multiple Navy destroyers that play a key role in NATO’s integrated defense system. A separate air base in Moron has also been used for logistics efforts and at times as a hub for crisis-response Marine units.
Troops assigned to U.S. Naval Activities Spain stand at attention during the annual flag raising ceremony at Naval Station Rota, Spain, on July 3, 2025. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week the United States may need to reconsider its troop presence in Spain and elsewhere in Europe after some NATO allies declined to support operations against Iran. (Jett Morgan/U.S. Navy)
In theory, the Navy could potentially shift some or all of its mission to Greece, which has enabled the U.S. to use military facilities in the country to support operations in Iran. Greece’s Souda Bay is home to a deep-water port capable of hosting carrier groups. Still, the Navy would be sacrificing a prime location near the Strait of Gibraltar, which serves as a vital global chokepoint connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Spain was in the Trump administration’s crosshairs even before events in Iran. At NATO’s summit in The Hague last year, Spain was the only country to refuse Trump’s demand that allies dedicate 5% of gross domestic product to their respective militaries.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close Trump ally, also railed against Spain on Monday after Madrid announced the closure of its airspace.
“I would highly encourage President Trump to not let the Spanish government’s decision to restrict their air space to the U.S. military go unanswered,” Graham said in a statement on X.
He added that he would support imposing sanctions on Spain in connection with the decision.
“I would again recommend to President Trump that we close U.S. air bases in Spain and relocate to a country that allows these assets to be used to protect America and the world,” Graham said. “The sooner this is done, the better.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly complained about NATO, saying that a failure to assist in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would have consequences down the line.
“I’m so disappointed in NATO, because this was a test for NATO … Remember this in a number of months from now. Remember my statements,” Trump said last week.
The U.S. has about 85,000 troops in Europe, where it has had a persistent presence since World War II. The mission was initially centered on countering the Soviet Union together with NATO allies. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, much of NATO’s attention shifted to supporting U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. It marked the only time in alliance history that NATO’s Article 5 collective defense provision was ever invoked.
More recently, the alliance has shifted its attention back to defending Europe against potential Russian aggression. At the same time, Poland has emerged as a center of gravity for the U.S. Army in Europe along NATO’s eastern flank.
Still, U.S. operations in Iran have relied on bases stretching from the United Kingdom and Portugal to Germany, which underpin Washington’s ability to project power beyond Europe even as tensions have ratcheted up inside NATO over the Iran campaign, analysts say.
“Europe gives the U.S. operational depth: shorter distances, less refueling burden, a wider basing network, stronger ISR and logistics,” said Linas Kojala, director of the Geopolitics and Security Studies Center think tank in Vilnius, in a statement on X. “That is the paradox: politically, the war strains transatlantic ties. Operationally, allies keep working together.”
