An internal memorandum circulated within the Pentagon lays out potential U.S. responses toward NATO members judged to have resisted providing support for U.S. actions related to the Iran conflict. The document, described by a U.S. official, lists several measures that would effectively penalize allied governments seen as obstructive to U.S. military access.
Among the options identified in the internal email is the possibility of suspending countries such as Spain from holding senior positions within NATO. The memo frames these measures as responses to what it characterizes as a reluctance or refusal by some partners to grant access, basing, and overflight rights - commonly referred to as ABO - for operations tied to the Iran war.
Another measure under consideration would be to review U.S. positions on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands. The memo presents this option alongside personnel and access-related penalties as part of a broader set of diplomatic and strategic levers the United States might deploy.
The document is set against public friction between Washington and its allies over support for maritime operations. U.S. leadership publicly criticized NATO partners for not contributing naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran closed it in late February in response to U.S. and Israeli hostilities. The president at the time had also repeatedly discussed the potential of withdrawing from the alliance and had publicly rebuked allies for their actions.
Spain is specifically cited in the memo as a prominent opponent of direct U.S. military operations tied to Iran. Madrid closed its airspace and denied the use of Spanish military bases for those operations. Spain's defence minister described the war as "profoundly illegal and unjust," and the country's prime minister maintained opposition to the conflict despite threats related to tariffs.
The memo comes after a week in which the U.S. announced an indefinite ceasefire with Iran, following failed attempts at negotiated peace. Despite that ceasefire declaration, the memo and other public statements indicate that tension persists: Tehran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz while Washington sustained a naval blockade of Iran.
The internal Pentagon options reflect a level of frustration within U.S. defense circles about allied cooperation on logistics and basing for Iran-related operations, and they lay out both personnel and geopolitical measures the U.S. could take in response.