Spain Blocks US War Flights Over Iran, Forcing NATO Reroute
By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Spain’s decision to close both its bases and airspace to US operations linked to the Iran war is forcing a visible shift in NATO logistics. Refuelling aircraft have already been moved out of Spain, bombers have been redirected to Britain, and routes into the Eastern Mediterranean are now longer and more complex.
Spain Expands Ban to Full Airspace
Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles confirmed on 30 March that Madrid had extended its earlier base denial to cover all Spanish airspace. US military aircraft involved in the Iran war are now barred from transiting Spanish territory. Emergency flights remain exempt.
The practical impact had begun before the formal airspace announcement. Spain denied the United States use of Rota Naval Base and Morón Air Base in late February, before Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February. Around 15 KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft were moved out of Spain that weekend and redeployed to bases in Germany and France. Nine were confirmed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, according to the Washington Times. The rest were dispersed to other hubs.
“Neither the bases are authorised, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorised for any actions related to the war in Iran,” Robles told reporters. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was even blunter. “We have denied the United States the use of the Rota and Morón bases for this illegal war,” he told lawmakers.
Where the Bombers Went
Spain’s refusal also blocked the Pentagon’s plan to station B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer strategic bombers on Spanish territory. Washington had explored using those aircraft as a reaction force in the event of Iranian strikes on NATO bases or allied countries. Madrid refused. The bombers were then moved to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved the deployment, limiting the aircraft to defensive missions. They became operational there on 9 March.
With Spain closed, US aircraft now use two routes to the Eastern Mediterranean. One crosses French airspace and refuels over the Mediterranean. The other circles the Iberian Peninsula through the Strait of Gibraltar, an international corridor Spain cannot close. B-2 Spirit bombers flying directly from the continental United States also use the Gibraltar route.
Ramstein Takes the Load
Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate has absorbed much of the logistics burden displaced from Spain. The base was already central to US military operations in the Middle East and remains a key hub for drone missions in the region. Germany has said Ramstein’s use complies with international law under a July 2025 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court.
Berlin has still drawn a line at direct participation. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would not join the war, though evacuation aircraft remain on standby for possible rescue missions involving German citizens in the region.
Rare but Not Without Precedent
Spain’s decision does have precedent, but not much. In 1986, France and Italy denied US forces the use of their airspace for strikes on Libya. American F-111 aircraft then flew a long Atlantic loop around Western Europe, adding thousands of kilometres and requiring multiple refuellings. The operation succeeded, but at a higher operational cost.
In 2003, Türkiye refused to allow US ground troops to use its territory for the invasion of Iraq, though it still permitted overflights. France and Germany opposed that war as well, but allowed US aircraft to cross their airspace. Spain’s current position goes further than those precedents. It combines base denial with full airspace closure during an active military campaign.
NATO has declined to comment, referring questions to national authorities. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded directly on 30 March. “If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” he told Al Jazeera. “All of that is going to have to be reexamined.” The White House, for its part, said the United States “does not need help from Spain or anyone else.”
Incirlik and the Unanswered Question
The eastward rerouting of US logistics increases the importance of southeastern NATO infrastructure. The most efficient corridor from Ramstein to the Eastern Mediterranean runs through or near airspace controlled by Italy, Greece and Türkiye.
Incirlik Air Base in Adana province sits directly on that corridor. The base is owned and commanded by the Turkish Air Force and operates as a joint Turkish-US facility under bilateral agreements. Since 28 February, Türkiye’s Defence Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Incirlik is a Turkish installation, not an American base, and that no foreign country holds independent military facilities on Turkish soil.
That message serves two purposes. It signals to Iran that Türkiye is not a launch platform for attacks. It also addresses domestic sensitivity around US military activity on Turkish territory.
Iran has not struck US facilities in Türkiye despite four Iranian ballistic missiles entering Turkish airspace since 4 March. The first intercept, on 4 March, targeted what a US military source described as Incirlik itself. A US Navy destroyer in the Mediterranean intercepted the missile with a Standard Missile 3. Türkiye’s Defence Ministry did not confirm Incirlik as the target. Iran has denied targeting Türkiye in all four incidents.
Whether Türkiye permits US overflights linked to Operation Epic Fury has not been stated publicly by either government. Since Spain closed its bases and airspace, that question has become more important for the route into the Eastern Mediterranean.