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The US is considering a number of different options for punishing its NATO allies for not participating in the ongoing Iran war, including suspending them from the alliance.
The various options are detailed in a memo prepared by Eldridge Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy advisor, who has expressed his deep frustration at NATO countries for refusing to allow US forces access, basing and overflight (ABO) rights for the Iran war.
The memo suggests suspending Spain from NATO and reconsidering the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands, as well as removing “difficult” countries from important or prestigious positions within NATO.
Colby says ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO.”
President Trump has offered severe criticism of NATO countries including Spain and the UK for failing to participate in the war and, in particular, for not being involved in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview on 1 April, President Trump said he was considering withdrawing the US from NATO.
“Wouldn’t you if you were me?” Trump asked.
In response to a request for comment on the email, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said, “As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our NATO allies, they were not there for us.
“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. We have no further comment on any internal deliberations to that effect.”
President Trump’s frustrations with NATO date back to his first term at least, but they have come to the fore as a result of the war with Iran.
Although Britain, France and other NATO nations have said they are willing to participate in peacetime efforts to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open, they have emphatically resisted calls to get involved in the current blockade of the Strait being carried out by the US Navy.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused to comment on the email, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said via a spokesperson, “Sovereignty rests with the UK and the islands’ right to self-determination is paramount. It’s been our consistent position and will remain the case.”
