American Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Spain and other NATO allies for their limited support in the war with Iran, suggesting that Washington might reassess its position towards the North Atlantic Alliance after the conflict in the Middle East concludes.
The United States has found that Spain, a NATO member country they are committed to defending, refused to grant the United States access to its airspace and boasted about it, according to a transcript of statements made by Marco Rubio to the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, published on Monday by the State Department.
Furthermore, Washington has faced resistance regarding the use of military bases in Spain and elsewhere, he said, as quoted on Tuesday by dpa.
NATO is useful for the United States as it allows for the stationing of troops and equipment (American) abroad, Rubio indicated.
"But if NATO is only about defending Europe in case of an attack, but our basic rights are denied when needed, this is not a good arrangement," the Secretary of State stated.
Under these circumstances, "it's hard to stay committed and say that this is beneficial for the U.S. So, all these aspects will need to be reassessed," Rubio added, emphasizing that NATO "cannot be a one-way street."
"Let's hope we can solve the problem. We will have time to deal with this later," he said.
Spain recently closed its airspace for flights related to the war in Iran, and previously banned the U.S. from using the Rota and Moron bases in Andalusia for any operations.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for what he perceives as insufficient support in this conflict.
Article 5 of NATO's mutual defense clause does not apply to the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, notes dpa.