Britain and Spain Reject Reported Plans by Trump to Punish Them

 

Britain and Spain Reject Reported Plans by Trump to Punish Them

 

An internal Pentagon email, reported by the Reuters news agency, suggested Washington was reviewing options to penalize the two nations for insufficiently supporting the war in Iran.

 

Stephen Castle Emma Bubola

By Stephen Castle and Emma Bubola

April 24, 2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/world/europe/trump-britain-spain-falklands.html

 

Britain and Spain pushed back against Washington on Friday in response to a report that the Trump administration is considering whether to punish the two nations over their failure to offer full-throated support for the war against Iran.

 

An internal Pentagon email, reported by the Reuters news agency, suggested that options under review include withdrawing American support for Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands — which are also claimed by Argentina — and seeking to suspend Spain from NATO.

 

In a statement, the Pentagon did not directly address the Reuters report or the options discussed in it, but the press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, 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.”

 

The report follows a succession of statements from an administration that has appeared disdainful of international law, questioned the value of the NATO and scolded allies who did not join the fight against Iran.

 

Questioning British sovereignty of the Falklands, an archipelago several hundred miles east of the Argentine coast, would be a significant diplomatic affront that could intensify trans-Atlantic tensions with Britain.

 

In 1982, Britain’s then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, sent a naval task force to the South Atlantic Ocean to recapture the islands after they were invaded by Argentina, then led by a military dictator, Leopoldo Galtieri.

 

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Asked about the Reuters report, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said on Friday that his government “could not be clearer about the U.K.’s position,” and that “sovereignty rests with the U.K. and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount.”

 

Downing Street noted that people living in the Falkland Islands had previously voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining a British overseas territory.

 

The furor comes at a sensitive moment, with King Charles III preparing for a state visit to the United States beginning Monday. The British opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, told Sky News that any challenge to the sovereignty of the islands was “absolute nonsense” and that Britain needed “to make sure that we are very determined in protecting British sovereign territory,” adding “that includes the Falkland Islands.”

 

Mr. Trump has alarmed some European allies by limiting American support for Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, and by staking a claim to Greenland, a self-governing territory within Denmark which is a fellow NATO member country.

 

Since Washington began military strikes against Iran, Mr. Trump has not concealed his frustration with Mr. Starmer, who initially refused the U.S. permission to use British air bases for strikes.

 

After Iran responded militarily, Britain relented and allowed the United States to operate some strikes from British airfields, including those on Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz or British bases and allies. That has not placated Mr. Trump, who recently described Mr. Starmer as “no Winston Churchill.”

 

By contrast President Javier Milei of Argentina is a close ally and ideological supporter of Mr. Trump.

 

Spain has taken a clearer position against the Iran war than Britain, for which Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was unapologetic on Friday.

 

“We do not work off emails,” said Mr. Sánchez, who has refused to allow the United States to use air bases on Spanish territory for strikes on Iran.

 

“We work off official documents and government positions, in this case of the United States,” he said. “The Spanish position is absolutely clear. collaboration with the allies, but always within international law.”

 

Some doubt the practicality of any threat to Spain’s position within NATO. The military alliance’s founding treaty “does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership, or expulsion,” an official of the alliance said.

 

In Argentina, news of a possible shift of position on the Falklands was welcomed by the government. “We are doing everything humanly possible so that the Malvinas are Argentine,” Javier Lanari, a spokesman for Mr. Milei said in a WhatsApp message, responding to a question about the Reuters report. He added: “We are making progress like never before.” Argentina refers to the islands by their Spanish name, the Malvinas.

 

On Thursday, Mr. Milei made the same claim in an interview with Neura Media, a libertarian streaming channel, adding that “sovereignty is not negotiated.”

 

The support to Argentina’s territorial claim over the islands would represent another important boost for the Argentine leader, whom Mr. Trump once called his “favorite president.”

 

Last fall, the United States offered Argentina a $20 billion lifeline ahead of key midterm elections, an action widely credited with helping Mr. Milei’s electoral success. Mr. Milei has also consistently supported the United States in international forums — and during a visit to Israel last week expressed his unwavering support for the war in Iran.

 

Michael D. Shear, Carlos Barragán, Steven Erlanger, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt contributed reporting.

 

Stephen Castle is a London correspondent of The Times, writing widely about Britain, its politics and the country’s relationship with Europe.

 

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter covering Argentina. She is based in Buenos Aires.