An internal Pentagon email has outlined a range of options for punishing NATO allies the United States believes failed to adequately support American operations during the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reassessing longstanding U.S. diplomatic backing for Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The email, which the official said was circulating at senior levels within the Pentagon, expresses frustration at what American officials view as allies’ reluctance or outright refusal to grant the United States access, basing, and overflight rights — known as ABO — for the Iran war. The document states that ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe its contents.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson did not deny the email’s existence. “As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they were not there for us,” Wilson said in a statement. “The War Department will ensure that the President has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part.”
Among the options outlined is the suspension of “difficult” countries from important or prestigious positions within NATO — a move the email describes as having limited operational impact but significant symbolic weight. A second option would involve reassessing U.S. diplomatic support for longstanding European territorial claims, specifically citing the Falkland Islands, currently administered by Britain but claimed by Argentina — whose President Javier Milei is a close Trump ally. Britain and Argentina fought a brief war over the islands in 1982, in which roughly 900 soldiers on both sides were killed before Argentina surrendered.
The email does not propose U.S. withdrawal from NATO or the closure of American bases in Europe, the official said. The official declined to say whether the options included a widely anticipated drawdown of some U.S. forces from the continent.
Tensions with Spain have been particularly acute. The country’s Socialist-led government announced it would not permit its territory or airspace to be used for strikes on Iran — a position that placed its two major American military installations, Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base, effectively off-limits for offensive operations. The email’s options, the official said, are intended to convey a strong signal aimed at “decreasing the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez brushed off the reports Friday, saying his government does “not work off of emails, we work from official documents and positions.” Germany’s government also weighed in, with a spokesperson saying Berlin saw “no reason” why Spain’s NATO membership should be in question.
Britain has faced its own friction with Washington. The Trump administration initially requested permission to use two British bases to strike Iran — a request London initially denied before agreeing to allow defensive missions aimed at protecting civilians in the region, including British nationals. Trump has repeatedly mocked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him “No Winston Churchill” and dismissing British aircraft carriers as “toys.”
The broader tensions reflect a deepening crisis of confidence in the 76-year-old alliance. European members, including Britain and France, have argued that joining the U.S. naval blockade would constitute entry into the war, while expressing willingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a durable ceasefire is in place.
Trump administration officials have rejected that framing. “You don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this month.
Trump himself has declined to rule out withdrawing from NATO altogether. “Wouldn’t you if you were me?” he told Reuters in an April 1 interview.
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