NATO officials have stated that the alliance's founding treaty does not include any provision for suspending or expelling member states. This comes after reports that the US could seek to suspend Spain over its stance on the war against Iran, as part of broader retaliation against allies perceived as insufficiently supportive.

Reuters, citing a US official, reported that an internal Pentagon email suggested measures to punish allies who allegedly failed to support the US campaign. The email also proposed reassessing US diplomatic support for longstanding European 'imperial possessions' such as the Falkland Islands, which are also claimed by Argentina.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez dismissed the report, stating, 'We do not work based on emails. We work with official documents and official positions taken, in this case, by the government of the United States.' He emphasized Spain's commitment to full cooperation with allies within the framework of international law.

The alleged internal email suggested that access, basing, and overflight rights are 'just the absolute baseline for NATO,' according to the unnamed US official. Options for retaliation included suspending 'difficult' countries from important positions within the alliance, though the memo purportedly did not suggest US withdrawal from NATO or closing bases in Europe.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson responded by claiming that despite 'everything' the US has done for its NATO allies, 'they were not there for us.' She added that the War Department would ensure the president has credible options to make allies 'no longer a paper tiger.' The UK, meanwhile, has allowed US use of British bases for strikes on Iranian sites but Prime Minister Keir Starmer insists greater involvement is not in UK interests.

Source: www.bbc.com