The Iberian Rebellion Against NATO Imperialism
When American and Israeli warplanes struck Iran on February 28, 2026, launching what Washington dubbed Operation Epic Fury, most NATO allies fell into line. Spain did not. In the days that followed, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez barred American forces from using the Rota and Morón de la Frontera air bases in southern Spain. Defense Minister Margarita Robles declared that Spain had provided “no assistance of any kind, absolutely none” from either base in connection with the Iran strikes, while Sánchez called the operation an “unjustified, dangerous military intervention that is outside international law.”
Flight tracking platforms recorded at least fifteen U.S. military aircraft departing the two Andalusian bases, with most heading toward Ramstein, Germany, in the days after the announcement. In a televised address, Sánchez warned that Trump was playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions” and declared, “We are not going to be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values and interests simply out of fear of someone’s retaliation.”
As this author has noted a previous piece, Spain has been carving out a path that could make it the West’s most unexpected rebel. Spain’s independent streak on matters relating to Israel and the Middle East did not begin with Sánchez. It began with Francisco Franco. The dictator’s regime refused to recognize the State of Israel from its creation in 1948, driven by his belief in a mythical “contubernio judeo-masónico” conspiracy and his strategic alignment with the Arab world. In an ironic twist, Franco’s regime made overtures toward diplomatic relations with Israel beginning in 1949, hoping that warmer ties might help lift international sanctions on fascist Spain. Israel rejected the overtures, having voted against lifting United Nations sanctions on Spain in 1949 because of Franco’s close ties to Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.
