Marco Rubio, who is both Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, says in an interview with Al Jazeera that the USA will take stock of NATO when the war against Iran is over. By this he implies that the Europeans’ reluctance to assist the USA will have consequences. He specifically mentions Spain’s ban on American military aircraft.
Europeans expect the USA to defend them if they are attacked, but there is no reciprocity. That is something the USA cannot live with, says Rubio.
“I think that was very disappointing. The President and our country will have to re-evaluate all of this when this operation is over,” Rubio replies.
“One of the reasons NATO is useful to the USA is that it gives us access to military bases in the event of unforeseen contingencies. It allows us to station forces and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world where we do not normally have bases. And that includes large parts of Europe.”
“And to see that at a time when the USA has assessed that there was a major risk to our national security and our national interests, and we had to carry out this operation, and then we have countries like Spain – a NATO country that we have committed ourselves to defend – that deny us the use of their airspace and boast about it, that refuse to allow us to use their bases. And there are other countries that have done so as well. So one asks oneself: What does the USA get out of it?”
Europeans like to place the blame on the USA, but it is the Europeans who refuse to come to the USA’s assistance, and they go so far as to deny the use of bases (the United Kingdom) and airspace (Spain). In that case, there is no longer any alliance.
Europeans have conducted an anti-Trump campaign for ten years, and in the second term it is even worse than in the first. The media and politicians present it as though it is the USA that is tearing NATO apart.
Rubio says that this is a false representation and asks Europeans to reflect. Without the USA, there is no NATO.
The Al Jazeera journalist goes on to say that people he has spoken to in Europe claim that it is the USA that is sending confusing signals. That it is the USA that is planning to withdraw from Europe – and that this explains why Europeans are so reluctant to engage in the Strait of Hormuz and in the war against Iran.
Marco Rubio rejects this as a “dishonest” explanation.
The USA has tens of thousands of soldiers stationed and weapons worth billions of dollars positioned in Europe, he says.
“All of it to defend Europe. Not to defend the USA, but to defend Europe against attack; everywhere,” says the Secretary of State.
“Without the USA, there is no NATO. Everyone agrees on that, including NATO. If we were tomorrow to decide to withdraw our forces from Europe, that would be the end of NATO. They know that. As regards that commitment: we have not withdrawn forces from NATO. So anyone who says that is being dishonest; they are making fools of us.”
Ultimately, it is very simple, Rubio continues:
“NATO is an alliance. And alliance means that the arrangement must be mutually beneficial. It cannot be a one-way street,” he says.
“Let us hope that we can sort it out. We will have time to address that later. Right now we are focused on this operation.”
🚨 SECRETARY RUBIO: If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, then that’s not a very good arrangement.
That’s a hard one to stay engaged in and say this is good for the United States. pic.twitter.com/C3IsTXQYnW
— Department of State (@StateDept) March 30, 2026