US-NATO rift deepens as leaked Pentagon email weighs expelling Spain

An internal email circulated within the US Department of Defense outlines potential retaliatory measures against NATO allies deemed to have provided insufficient support for the US war with Iran. 

Specifically mentioned are Spain and the United Kingdom, according to a US official cited by Reuters. One drastic option being considered is the suspension of Spain from NATO. 

Advertisement

The memo also suggests Washington could re-evaluate its stance on the Falkland Islands-a territory currently held by the UK but also claimed by Argentina. These details, provided by an anonymous official, highlighting the sensitive and internal nature of these discussions.

The email, which alleges “a sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans”, is intended as a signal to NATO partners, according to the official.

As a result, I am absolutely not worried,” he said. “We do not work with emails. We work with official documents and positions taken, in this case, by the government of the US.

“The position of the government of Spain is clear: absolute collaboration with the allies, but always within the framework of international legality.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, also attending the summit in Cyprus, said “NATO must remain united”.

“We must work to strengthen NATO’s European pillar… which must clearly complement the American one,” Meloni told reporters.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed the Pentagon’s threat to re-evaluate the Falkland Islands, asserting that British sovereignty is longstanding and the residents’ right to self-determination is paramount. 

The passage recalls the 1982 Falklands War, noting that the UK’s position remains unchanged despite US pressure regarding the current conflict with Iran. Washington is “raging” at European allies for refusing to allow their bases or airspace to be used for attacks on Iran. 

Spain has flatly refused access, leading President Trump to threaten a total trade embargo. Trump has personally insulted the British PM, calling him “no Winston Churchill" and mocking the UK’s aircraft carriers as “toys” after Starmer initially restricted base usage to defensive purposes only, according to reports from Al-Jazeera.

The Pentagon email argues that providing basing and overflight rights should be the “absolute baseline” for NATO members. Trump has labeled the alliance a “paper tiger” and called allies “cowards” for not helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

While the email does not suggest a full US withdrawal from NATO, it emphasizes that the Pentagon is preparing “credible options” to ensure allies do their part in the war effort. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson echoed Trump’s sentiment, stating that despite US support for NATO, the allies “were not there for us” when needed.

“The War Department will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part. We have no further comment on any internal deliberations to that effect,” Wilson said.