Spain closes its airspace to aircraft participating in attacks on Iran

The Spanish government has closed its airspace to aircraft participating in the attacks on Iran, starting from Monday. This restriction comes after the decision to not allow aircraft involved in Operation 'Epic Fury' to refuel at the Rota and Morón air bases.

This will affect not only take-offs from Spanish soil but also military flights from bases in the UK and France.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hinted at the new restriction during his appearance in Congreso on Wednesday, 25 March, when he informed the public of Moncloa's position regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

"We have denied the US the use of the Rota and Morón bases for this illegal war. We will reject all flight plans that consider actions related to the operation in Iran. All of them, including those for refuelling aircraft," Sánchez said.

The Spanish government's decision to prevent the use of the Rota and Morón military bases in the US-Israeli offensive against Iran was met with a dismissive response from President Donald Trump in early March, who threatened to sever trade relations with Spain. "We could use their bases if we wanted. We could fly there and use them. Nobody's going to tell us not to. We don't have to. But they were hostile, so I told them we didn't want to do it," Trump said at the time.

Regarding the duration of the conflict, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares foresees an "almost perpetual war" in the Middle East, with no signs of it subsiding at the moment. On Monday, he said that the situation in Lebanon is beginning to resemble that of Gaza.

"This is a very serious situation from a military point of view because of the intensity of the bombings and the exchanges of missiles and drones. The world's leading military power is directly involved," he said in an interview on Rac1.