Pentagon discusses punishment for NATO countries that did not help in war against Iran - Reuters

An internal Pentagon email discusses options for punishing NATO allies that did not support US operations in the war with Iran, including expelling Spain from the alliance and revising the US position on Britain’s claims to the Falkland Islands.

It was reported by Reuters, citing a US official.

The official, who spoke about the email on condition of anonymity, noted that the options are detailed in a memo expressing disappointment over the unwillingness or refusal of some allies to grant the US Access, Basing, and Overflight (ABO) rights for a war with Iran.

The email states that ABO is an “just the absolute baseline for NATO,” and options for sanctions are being discussed at the highest levels within the Pentagon. One such option outlined in the email involves excluding “difficult” countries from important or prestigious positions within NATO, the official noted.

At the same time, the official declined to say whether these options include the widely anticipated withdrawal of US troops from Europe.

When asked to comment on the letter, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson replied:

"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."

The policy options outlined in the email are intended to send a strong signal to NATO allies in order to “decrease the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans,” the official said, summarizing the letter’s content.

The letter states that the option of expelling Spain from the alliance would have a limited impact on US military operations but a significant symbolic effect. The official did not specify how exactly the US could achieve Spain’s expulsion from the alliance.

"We do not work off emails. We work off official documents and government positions, in this case of the United States," said Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez, responding to a question about this information.

The memorandum also considers the possibility of revising US diplomatic support regarding long-standing European “imperial possessions,” such as the Falkland Islands near Argentina. The State Department’s website notes that the islands are under British administration, but Argentina still claims them; its libertarian president, Javier Milei, is an ally of Trump.

In 1982, the United Kingdom and Argentina fought a brief war over the islands after Argentina made an unsuccessful attempt to seize them. Before Argentina’s surrender, approximately 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British troops were killed.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that due to the war with Iran “a lot has been laid bare,” noting that Iranian long-range missiles cannot strike the US but can reach Europe.

“We get questions, or roadblocks, or hesitations ... You don't have much of an alliance if ​you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” Hegseth said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte believes that the US withdrawal from the North Atlantic Alliance is unlikely. However, he emphasized that the alliance needs to strengthen itself.

Earlier, Politico reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had compiled a list of “good” and “bad” NATO countries based on the assistance they have provided to Washington since the start of the war against Iran. Trump’s administration wants to punish the countries that have performed “poorly.”