Spain closed its airspace and military installations to American military aircraft involved in the Iran War on Monday, escalating the NATO ally’s standoff with Washington over the Iran war.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed the move Monday, which was an expansion of an earlier ban on the use of two U.S. bases in Spain, according to Euronews. Defense Minister Margarita Robles claimed the move was not an abrupt change of policy, telling reporters Spain communicated its position to American forces “from the beginning.” Robles also called the conflict “profoundly illegal and unjust.”

Albares told radio station RAC1 that the decision was in line with the Spanish government’s policy of avoiding anything that could escalate Middle East conflict, La Vanguardia reported in Spanish

Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told Cadena Ser the move aligns with Spain’s refusal to “participate in or contribute to a war initiated unilaterally and against international law,” according to Reuters.

Spain closes airspace to US aircraft involved in Iran war https://t.co/9bUVs1Y3Zv

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 30, 2026

Military sources said Spain’s restriction extends to planes flying from bases in the United Kingdom and France, El País reported in Spanish. The B-2 Spirit bombers flying 30-plus-hour nonstop missions from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri still cross the Strait of Gibraltar in transit, which Spain cannot block.

U.S. bombers stationed at RAF Fairford in England must now bypass most of the Iberian peninsula, routing over the eastern Atlantic or through French airspace to reach their targets, according to the BBC. The UK agreed to host the aircraft on March 1.

President Donald Trump already announced that the U.S. was cutting off all trade with Spain on March 3 after the European country denied base access, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused the country of putting “American lives at risk.”