US considers suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing British sovereignty in the Falklands, says agency

United States President Donald Trump speaks during an event on healthcare affordability, at which he announced an agreement with pharmaceutical company Regeneron to reduce drug prices, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2026 Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP The Trump administration is considering suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing its position on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands to punish allies for lack of cooperation in the war the US is waging against Iran, revealed this Friday (24) the news agency Reuters. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The possible measures were revealed to Reuters by a US government official and are circulating internally at the Pentagon in an email exchange. The messages bring options evaluated by the Trump administration to punish NATO allies who, in Washington’s assessment, failed to support the US in the war against Iran. The most powerful member of NATO and sometimes seen as the “leader” of the coalition, the US asked for help from the other countries in the alliance (which includes Canada and Europeans) to help with the war in the Middle East. The allies, however, refused to play an active role in the conflict, claiming that they did not want to be drawn into clashes against Tehran. It is not yet known how the US could seek Spain’s suspension from NATO, nor whether this would be possible. The military alliance’s founding treaty does not provide for any mechanism for suspending members, a NATO source confirmed to Reuters. See the videos that are trending on g1 Malvinas Islands Regarding the Malvinas Islands (or Falkland), the USA formally considers that the archipelago belongs to the United Kingdom, despite being located off the coast of Argentina. A U.S. reversal of this position would be exceptional among historical allies. In response, the British government reiterated its sovereignty over the Falklands this Friday. (Read more below) Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is a point of friction between the British and Argentine governments. The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, stated in a press conference this Friday that the US “deserves allies that are loyal” and again criticized the Europeans for the lack of help in the conflict against Iran. “We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz more than we do. (…) They need to stop talking so much and having fancy meetings, and start acting more”, said Hegseth. Europeans come to the defense of Spain Donald Trump, President of the USA, and Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain Yves Herman/Reuters Several Europeans came to the defense of Spain this Friday. The German government has stated that questioning Spanish participation in NATO is out of the question. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said that NATO needs to remain united to be strong. Asked about the Reuters information, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, stated that he will not speculate based on internal emails and that he will only consider official documents or statements coming from the US government. United Kingdom reiterates sovereignty over Falkland Islands Trump alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Reuters A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office stated that the United Kingdom is sovereign over the Falkland Islands. “We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands. It is long-standing and has not changed. Sovereignty belongs to the UK and the islands’ right to self-determination is paramount. This has been our consistent position and will continue to be,” the spokesperson told reporters. Starmer’s representative further said that the UK has expressed this position “clearly and consistently to successive US governments”. Asked whether Starmer saw this as an attempt by the US to pressure him into going to war against Iran, his spokesman said: “He has spoken about this and has also stated that this pressure does not affect him, and that he will always act in the national interest — and that will continue to be the case.” Context: The United Kingdom and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 over the islands, following a failed attempt by Argentina to seize them. Around 650 Argentine and 255 British soldiers died before the Argentine surrender.

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