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An internal Pentagon email outlines options for punishing NATO allies that refused to grant the United States access, basing, and overflight (ABO) rights for the Iran war.
The 'punishing' includes suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing U.S. diplomatic support for Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands, aimed at "decreasing the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans," a U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Friday.
The official described the email, circulating at high levels in the Pentagon, as expressing frustration at the allies' refusal to grant "ABO rights" for the Iran war.
The email stated that ABO is "just the absolute baseline for NATO."
One option envisions suspending "difficult" countries from important or prestigious NATO positions. Specifically, the option to suspend Spain would have "a limited effect on U.S. military operations but a significant symbolic impact," the email argued.
The official said no existing mechanism within NATO to suspend a member was immediately identifiable, and Reuters could not confirm how such a suspension could be pursued.
The email also includes an option to reassess U.S. diplomatic support for European "imperial possessions," citing the Falkland Islands near Argentina as an example.
Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, asserts territorial claims to the islands.
Britain and Argentina fought a war over them in 1982, with 650 Argentine and 255 British troops killed before Argentina surrendered.
The official summarized the email's intent as aimed at "decreasing the sense of entitlement on the part of the Europeans."
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson confirmed the general direction without discussing specifics.
"As President Trump has 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," she said.
"We have no further comment on any internal deliberations to that effect," Wilson added.
The official said the email did not propose withdrawing from NATO or closing U.S. bases in Europe. Whether it included a broader drawdown of U.S. forces from European soil was not disclosed.
The U.S. has two major military installations in Spain: Naval Station Rota and the Morón Air Base.
The Spanish government refused to allow its bases or airspace to be used to attack Iran.
France and Britain also refused or delayed U.S. requests for base access, though Britain later agreed to allow defensive missions to protect civilians in the region.
Trump has repeatedly insulted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him "No Winston Churchill" and describing British aircraft carriers as "toys."
He told Reuters in a recent interview that withdrawing from NATO was a genuine possibility for the United States.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon earlier this month that the war had exposed alliance weaknesses.
"A lot has been laid bare. We get questions, or roadblocks, or hesitations. You don't have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them," Hegseth said.
He previously framed the divide explicitly: "Model allies that step up will receive our special favor. Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences."
With a Politico-reported "naughty and nice" tier list already circulating, a formal Pentagon email now detailing specific suspension and Falklands options, and Trump openly musing about NATO withdrawal, the alliance's eastern allies, such as Romania and Poland, stand to gain while western holdouts face growing institutional pressure ahead of July's Ankara Summit.
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