Key Takeaways
- Despite public objections, the U.K., Germany, Portugal, Italy, France and Greece are all hosting U.S. military assets actively supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
- Germany’s Ramstein Air Base serves as the central command hub for drone operations and long-range strike coordination — even as Berlin insists it is not at war.
- Spain is the only European country to formally deny U.S. base access, forcing aircraft to relocate to Germany and France.
- Europe’s network of 40 U.S. bases and 80,000 service personnel makes the continent irreplaceable for projecting American power into the Middle East.
What Happened?
Despite vocal public objections from European leaders, a broad coalition of NATO allies is quietly enabling U.S. military strikes on Iran. U.S. bombers have been fueled and armed at RAF Fairford in the U.K., attack drones are being directed from Germany’s Ramstein Air Base — the nerve center of Operation Epic Fury — and the USS Gerald R. Ford is currently docked in Crete following fire damage. Refueling aircraft operate from Italy’s Aviano Base, France’s Istres-Le Tubé Base, and Portugal’s Lajes Base in the Azores, while Rivet Joint spy planes gather signals intelligence over Iran from Greek soil. Spain remains the sole exception, having denied base access and forced a redeployment of U.S. assets elsewhere in Europe.
Why It Matters?
The gap between European political rhetoric and military reality is widening. Germany, Italy and France have publicly distanced themselves from the conflict, yet Cold War-era bilateral agreements grant the U.S. near-complete operational autonomy at European bases regardless of what host governments say. This creates serious domestic political risk for European leaders as energy prices rise and public opposition to the war deepens. It also exposes a strategic contradiction: Trump has repeatedly threatened to abandon NATO and called allies “COWARDS,” yet the entire Iran campaign depends on European infrastructure. Spain’s decision to pull access — and the resulting U.S. operational disruption — is a preview of how fragile this arrangement could become.
What’s Next?
The durability of Europe’s quiet cooperation will be tested as the conflict extends and political pressure builds. Any further base-access denials could meaningfully degrade U.S. operational tempo. The NATO burden-sharing debate will intensify, with the Iran war making Europe’s strategic value to U.S. power projection undeniable — even as trans-Atlantic trust erodes. Investors should monitor European energy market volatility tied to Strait of Hormuz disruptions, defense sector spending momentum across NATO members, and any escalation in U.S.–European diplomatic tensions that could signal a deeper rupture in the alliance.
Source: The Wall Street Journal — Europe Is Quietly Playing a Crucial Role in the Iran War
