[News] US weighs maritime action after Spain blocks 'Israel' military cargo

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-weighs-maritime-action-after-spain-blocks--israel--milita>
US weighs maritime action after Spain blocks 'Israel' military cargo
Al Mayadeen English
December 20, 2025
------------------------------

Spain's arms embargo on "Israel" prompts the US to consider port bans on
Spanish vessels amid rising tensions in military cooperation.

   - [image: Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a media
   conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 (AP)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/20/b4eb4812-41bd-492c-8009-5e3feb2c5d85.jpg?width=1000>
   Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a media conference at
   the EU Summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 (*AP*)

The United States is weighing restrictive measures against Spanish-flagged
ships following Spain’s decision to block the transit of US military cargo
bound for "Israel"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pedro-sanchez-demands-accountability-over-gaza-devastation>,
prompting a formal investigation by US maritime authorities, *Yahoo News*
reported.

In late September, the Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez, prohibited US aircraft and vessels carrying weapons, ammunition,
or military equipment destined for "Israel"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-opens-sedinor-case-over-steel-used-in-israeli-weapons>
from transiting through the military bases of Rota in Cádiz and Morón de la
Frontera in Seville. The move was adopted in protest against "Israel’s"
ongoing war
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-to-maintain-arms-embargo-on--israel--despite-ceasefire>
on the Gaza Strip.

The Joint Spanish–US Committee confirmed that the ban applies both to
aircraft and ships traveling directly to "Israel"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-approves--total-arms-embargo--over-gaza-genocide>
and to those stopping en route. In response, the Federal Maritime
Commission (FMC) in Washington said Friday it is considering measures, such
as closing US ports to Spanish vessels, while investigating Spain’s refusal
to allow US cargo ships carrying arms to dock at the port of Algeciras in
southern Spain.

The FMC statement outlined potential actions, including cargo limitations,
denial of entry to Spanish-flagged vessels, or fines of up to $2.3 million
per voyage. The independent commission emphasized it is urgently
gathering information
on Spain’s current policy
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-voices-concern-over-spain-s-restrictions-on-shipments-to>,
which it said may create “unfavorable general or special conditions for
maritime transport in US foreign trade" and will determine appropriate
corrective measures.

Spanish authorities maintain that the Defense Cooperation Agreement
governing US military operations in Spain will not be amended.

Under Article 32 of the agreement, the US must obtain authorization from
Spain’s Permanent Committee for operations involving munitions, but
stopovers do not require disclosure of the cargo’s final destination,
ensuring that US-operated bases in Spain remain outside the scope of the
arms embargo.
Spain takes action against 'Israel'

Spain has taken a series of formal actions against "Israel’s"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-to-probe-gaza-rights-abuses-to-aid-icc-case-against--i>
 conduct in the war on Gaza, framing them as efforts to stop the genocide
and alleviate humanitarian suffering. Spain’s Real Decreto-ley, on
September 23, legally consolidated the arms embargo and expanded
prohibition on port transit for military-usable fuels, adding a ban on
importing products from illegal settlements in Gaza and the occupied West
Bank.

On September 17, the Spanish Ministry of Defense cancelled two major arms
contracts
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spanish-pm-reveals-9-measures-to-halt-genocide-in-gaza>
with
Israeli defence firms worth over $1.1 billion, signaling a concrete
withdrawal from military procurement tied to "Israel".

Among the measures approved after that announcement, Spain’s cabinet, on
September 9, consolidated restrictions that bar transit by ships carrying
fuel for "Israel’s" armed forces and deny access to Spanish airspace for
state aircraft transporting defence material destined for "Israel".

On September 8, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of nine
measures, including a permanent arms embargo on "Israel" and bans on the
transit of military-related fuel through Spanish ports.

These steps occurred against a backdrop of sustained Spanish criticism of
"Israel’s" military campaign in Gaza, with Madrid framing its policy as
upholding international law, imposing trade and transit restrictions, and
boosting humanitarian support for Palestinians.
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