Spain restricts US aircraft involved in the Iran war's airspace.

 

The control tower at Adolfo Suarez Airport in Madrid, Spain in 2025 (Image: Getty Images)

Margarita Robles, the Defense Minister of Madrid, stated that the United States planes involved in attacks on Iran have been barred from flying into Spain. "We will not authorise the use of Morón and Rota [military bases] for any acts related to the war in Iran," she said, adding that Spain had "made this clear to the American government from the beginning".

READ MORE: Why did US and Israel attack Iran and how long could the war last?

 The decision was made with the intention of "not doing anything that could encourage an escalation in this war," as stated by Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares. The US military was "meeting or exceeding all of its goals under Operation Epic Fury and does not need help from Spain or anyone else," a White House official told the BBC. Due to Spain's opposition to the Iran war, US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to impose a complete trade embargo. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as "reckless" and "illegal" since the war began at the end of February. Earlier in March, Sánchez said Spain had denied the US use of the two jointly run military bases at Rota and Morón, both in Andalusia.

 Last Wednesday, he also announced that "all flight plans that involved actions related to the operation in Iran were rejected - every single one of them, including those of refuelling aircraft."

He stated, "We are a sovereign nation that does not wish to participate in illegal wars."

Madrid already denied the US use of the two jointly run military bases at Rota and Morón earlier in March (Image: Getty Images)

Some US bombers involved in operations in Iran are stationed at the RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire in the UK, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on 1 March that the UK had agreed to the request from the US.

 The majority of the Iberian Peninsula will have to be circumvented by planes departing from there, who will have to fly over France or the eastern Atlantic. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pas, aircraft would only be able to enter Spain's airspace or land at the bases in the event of an emergency. The Spanish prime minister said in a 10-minute televised address on March 4 that the Spanish government's position could be summarized as "no to war" in light of the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iraq that took place more than two decades earlier. Later in March, the Iranian embassy in Spain said Tehran would be receptive to requests from Madrid concerning transit through the Strait of Hormuz because Spain was "committed to international law".

 The slender waterway that connects Iran and the Arabian Peninsula's northernmost tip typically receives approximately 20% of the world's oil supply.

For weeks the threat of attacks by Iranian drones, missiles and potentially mines has kept it effectively closed, sending oil prices shooting.

Source: BBC