NATO says it simply doesn't work that way. The alliance on Friday dismissed the idea that the US could push to suspend Spain over its refusal to back strikes on Iran, after Reuters reported an internal Pentagon email floated "punishing" allies seen as unhelpful. NATO officials told the BBC its founding treaty has no mechanism to suspend or expel members. Spain, which hosts two US bases but has blocked use of its territory for Iran attacks, also brushed off the report, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez saying Madrid acts on official US positions, not leaked emails, and only "within the framework of international law."
NATO's founding treaty only provides for voluntary withdrawals, which require a year's notice, Politico reports. "It's hard to know how seriously we should take such emails beyond ideological trolling," says former alliance spokesperson Oana Lungescu. The reported memo, described by a US official to Reuters, also proposed reviewing Washington's support for European "imperial possessions" like the Falkland Islands, a British territory invaded by Argentina in 1982, and curbing roles for "difficult" countries in NATO. The memo did not, however, propose closing US bases in NATO or quitting the alliance, a possibility President Trump has openly discussed.
The Pentagon declined to discuss internal deliberations, though press secretary Kingsley Wilson said allies "were not there for us." The Pentagon, she said, "will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part" The flap comes as Trump continues to accuse European partners of doing too little in the Iran conflict, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warns deeper UK involvement in the war or the US blockade of Iranian ports isn't in Britain's interest.
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