US May ‘Reexamine’ NATO’s Merit After Iran War Snub, Rubio Says

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 30 that the United States may “reexamine” its relationship with NATO in the wake of some of the alliance’s members’ responses to the ongoing war with Iran.

Describing the response of some allies as “very disappointing,” Rubio said that President Donald Trump and the country would have to reconsider the organization after the current conflict ends.

“One of the reasons why NATO is beneficial to the United States is it gives us basing rights for contingencies. It allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases, and that includes in much of Europe,” he said.

“And to see that in a time of need—the United States has identified a grave risk to our national security and our national interest, and we needed to conduct this operation, and 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 our—of their bases. And there are other countries that have done that as well.”

Rubio added that one had to ask, if this is the case, “what is in it for the United States?” stipulating that he has been a big supporter of NATO, but that support was given on the assumption that American basing rights in Europe “give us flexibility in operational capability all over the world.”

“But 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,” he said, adding that it is a “hard one to stay engaged in and say this is good for the United States.”

Rubio’s comments followed Spain’s government closing its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in the conflict with Iran, according to the country’s defense minister, Margarita Robles.

“It’s a very clear position: We are not going to authorize, as we have said at the beginning, the use of Morón and Rota bases for any act related to the war in Iran,” she told reporters ⁠in Madrid on March 25.

“And, of course, the use of Spanish airspace.”

That means that Madrid has banned fighter jets and refueling aircraft from using its bases and denied U.S. aircraft operating from third countries access to its airspace.

Spain hosts two key joint U.S.–Spanish military bases, which operate under the bilateral U.S.–Spain defense cooperation agreement and support NATO operations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Naval Station Rota serves as a major naval hub for the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet. Morón Air Base in the Andalusia region of Spain is located close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East and operates a long runway and aircraft refueling systems, according to the U.S. Navy.

Both installations remain under Spanish sovereignty but allow a permanent U.S. military presence and are considered among Washington’s most important defense facilities in southern Europe.

European Reluctance

Some other European leaders also do not back the current war.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently described the Iran conflict as an economic “catastrophe” during a visit to Australia on March 26.

He also said that Germany did not want to be drawn further into the conflict.

“Nobody asked us before. It’s not our war, and therefore we don’t want to get sucked into that war, to make it crystal clear,” he said.

In a March 30 post on X, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “We aren’t getting dragged into the Middle East conflict.”

Trump Weighs In

On March 31, Trump lambasted both the UK and France in two posts on Truth Social.

He called on the UK and other nations to buy more jet fuel from the United States, which he said “had plenty,” and also said the UK should “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait (of Hormuz), and just TAKE IT.”

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” Trump said.

In relation to France, Trump criticised Paris for not letting planes bound for Israel fly over French territory.

“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!” he said.

Owen Evans contributed to this report.