- Washington’s NATO allies face mounting pressure over access to airspace, bases
- Responses expose growing divide among allies
- While some place limits, others opt for procedural reviews, alongside those granting access
As the war in Iran continues, European nations are facing mounting pressure from the US to grant access to their airspace and military bases, with responses exposing a growing divide, particularly among NATO allies.
While some capitals are moving to distance themselves from a conflict they have not authorized, others are prioritizing transatlantic alignment with Washington.
This evolving friction is testing the limits of European coordination, legal accountability, and the long-term cohesion of the alliance.
Spain says ‘no to war’
Many European governments have adopted a cautious posture, either placing strict limits on US requests or subjecting them to rigorous procedural reviews.
Spain has emerged with one of the firmest stances. Maintaining its long-standing “no to war” position, Madrid has denied US access to its airspace for operations linked to Iran.
This restriction extends to US aircraft stationed in third countries, including the UK and France, according to Spanish military sources cited by El Pais.
Spanish authorities also rejected the deployment of strategic bombers to bases in southern Spain, citing the lack of international legal backing.
In March, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares reaffirmed that bases at Rota and Moron de la Frontera "are not being used" for Middle East operations and will not be authorized for such deployments.
Italy, Austria, Switzerland impose limits
Italy has emphasized procedural control. Reports suggested that the US was denied use of the Sigonella air base in Sicily due to a lack of prior authorization.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the move was aimed at ensuring compliance with international agreements, stressing that it does not signal tensions with Washington or imply that the US has been banned from using Italian bases.
“All requests are carefully examined on a case-by-case basis, as has always been done in the past too. There are no critical issues or friction with international partners,” a government statement also clarified.
Neutral countries have also imposed limits. Austria refused US overflight requests related to strikes on Iran, citing its neutrality law, while leaving the door open for case-by-case reviews.
“Of course, Austria must refuse the USA access to our airspace for military flights. We want nothing to do with Trump's policy of chaos and his war, which will bring us the next energy crisis,” Vice Chancellor Andi Babler later justified on the US social media platform X.
Switzerland has taken a similar line. Its Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) approved only a fraction of the overflight requests since the conflict began.
It noted that requests for passage through Swiss airspace are only approved if they are “clearly not related to the conflict,” otherwise, they face automatic rejection under the law of neutrality.
France, Portugal provide conditional support
While President Donald Trump claimed that US aircraft were restricted from flying over France’s airspace, government sources told broadcaster BFM TV that Paris did not impose a blanket ban.
They noted that conditions for US military aircraft transiting through French airspace remain unchanged, with fighter jets carrying military equipment on board being prohibited.
However, the deployment of tanker aircraft and planes with logistical functions remains authorized.
In Portugal, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the Lajes Air Base can only be used in response to an attack that is necessary, proportionate and avoids civilian targets.
No formal restrictions have been imposed, and Rangel said recent US use of the base complies with international law.
UK, Germany toe the line
Other allies have maintained US access, largely within established agreements or under the principle of collective defense.
Although criticized by Trump for not acting fast enough, the UK approved the use of its bases for expanded US operations targeting Iranian-linked threats in the Strait of Hormuz.
While initially limited to defensive missions, London broadened its authorization to include protecting maritime routes, framing the move as “collective self-defense.”
Germany has avoided taking a clear political stance on the legality of the strikes but continues to allow US forces to operate under long-standing bilateral agreements.
At the same time, concerns are growing over potential legal liabilities tied to facilitating such operations.
In Belgium, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot recently said that the government is not considering closing its airspace to aircraft linked to the Middle East conflict.
Romania offers support
Romanian local media revealed that the deployment of US military equipment and personnel to Romania is authorized for a period of up to 90 days.
President Nicusor Dan clarified in a statement that the equipment consists of “defensive systems” and that the cooperation mirrors arrangements currently held by other NATO allies.
Bulgaria has not announced any restrictions. The country recently received a note from Tehran regarding the deployment of a US tanker aircraft at Sofia Airport, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.
In response, the government noted that the aircraft is part of NATO’s forward deployment and does not constitute participation in the war.
“We are in a situation of forward deployment of aircraft on our territory in relation to the Eastern flank of the Alliance. (…) No combat aircraft are flying over our airspace, there is no refueling of such aircraft, and no overflights of this kind have been requested over our territory,” Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov later explained.
Greece deploys anti-missile battery
While there are no reported restrictions, Greece has deployed an anti-missile battery on the island of Karpathos to protect the naval bases in Souda Bay, Crete.
Additionally, it has dispatched frigates and F-16 fighters to the Greek Cypriot Administration.
The country, however, claims that the extent of involvement in the US-Israeli war is purely defensive.
Poland refused to send its Patriot air defense systems to support the US operations against Iran, although it has not imposed any formal restrictions.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz clarified in a social media post that their Patriot batteries and armament are used to protect Polish skies and NATO's eastern flank.
“Nothing is changing in this regard, and we are not planning to relocate them anywhere!” he said.
Baltic states offer political support
Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania -- have shown strong political support for Washington, justifying the strikes as a necessary countermeasure against Iran.
A senior presidential adviser in Lithuania told broadcaster LRT that the country remains open to assisting US military operations against Iran and could even consider deploying troops should Washington submit a request.
Nordic nations maintain low profile
Meanwhile, the Nordic countries have maintained a lower profile.
While no formal airspace restrictions have been reported from capitals like Oslo or Stockholm, they have largely framed their positions within multilateral NATO structures, carefully avoiding a direct or unilateral endorsement of the strikes.
