An internal email from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) details options for the United States to punish NATO members it believes have not supported U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain's membership in the alliance and reviewing the U.S. position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands, a U.S. official said.
The official stated that one of the options included in the letter involves suspending the membership of “difficult” countries from important or prestigious positions in NATO.
He added that the policy options are detailed in a memo describing the disappointment over what is perceived as reluctance or refusal by some members of the alliance to grant the United States (rights of access, military deployment and air passage) in the context of a war with Iran.
He noted that the letter described access, military deployment, and overflight rights as “the absolute minimum for NATO,” and added that options were being discussed at high levels in the Pentagon.
US President Donald Trump strongly criticized NATO members for not sending naval fleets to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed to global shipping following the outbreak of the air war on February 28.
Trump also indicated that he was considering withdrawing from the alliance.
“Wouldn’t you have done it if you were in my shoes?” Trump asked during an interview on April 1, in response to a question about whether a U.S. withdrawal from NATO was on the table.
One of the options outlined in the letter involves suspending the membership of "difficult" countries from important or prestigious positions within NATO.
The official said that the email, however, did not indicate that the United States would withdraw. Nor did it contain a proposal to close American bases in Europe.
But the official declined to say whether the options included the United States withdrawing some of its forces from Europe, which many expect.
In response to a request for comment on the email, Pentagon spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson said: “As President Trump has said, despite everything the United States has done for our NATO allies, they have not stood by us.”
Wilson added: “The Department of Defense will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are not just paper tigers, but that they do their part. We have no further comment on any internal deliberations on this matter.”
In contrast, a German government spokesman said on Friday that Spain's membership in NATO was not in question.
In response to a journalist's question, the spokesman said during a regular press conference in Berlin, "Spain is a member of NATO. I see no reason to change that."
Analysts and diplomats say that a US-Israeli war with Iran has raised serious questions about the future of the 76-year-old NATO alliance, and has sparked unprecedented concern that the United States may not come to the aid of its European allies if they are attacked.
Britain, France and other countries said that joining the US naval blockade would mean entering the war, but they would be willing to help keep the strait open once a permanent ceasefire was reached or the conflict ended.
But Trump administration officials stressed that NATO cannot be a one-way street.
They expressed disappointment with Spain, whose Socialist government said it would not allow its bases or airspace to be used to attack Iran. The United States has two important military bases in Spain: the Rota naval base and the Morón air base.
The official, summarizing the contents of the email, said the policy options outlined in the message were intended to send a strong signal to NATO members with the aim of “reducing the sense of entitlement among Europeans.”
He explained that the message indicates that the option of suspending Spain's membership in the alliance would have a limited impact on US military operations, but would have a significant symbolic impact.
The official did not reveal what methods the United States might use to suspend Spain's membership in the alliance.
The memo also includes an option to consider reassessing U.S. diplomatic support for so-called old European “imperial possessions,” such as the Falkland Islands near Argentina.
The U.S. State Department website states that the islands are administered by the United Kingdom, but Argentina still claims sovereignty over them. Argentine President Javier Ayelethal is an ally of Trump.
Trump has repeatedly insulted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him a coward for not wanting to join a US war with Iran, and Trump has described British aircraft carriers as “dummy” carriers.
Britain initially refused the US request to allow American aircraft to attack Iran from two British bases, but later agreed to allow defensive missions aimed at protecting the region's population, including British citizens, amid the Iranian response.
In remarks to reporters at the Pentagon earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “a lot has been revealed” through the war with Iran, noting that Iran’s long-range missiles could not hit the United States but could reach Europe.
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