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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-weighs-maritime-action-after-spain-blocks--israel--milita">english.almayadeen.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">US weighs maritime action after Spain blocks 'Israel' military cargo</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen English</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">December 20, 2025</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Spain's
arms embargo on "Israel" prompts the US to consider port bans on
Spanish vessels amid rising tensions in military cooperation.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/20/b4eb4812-41bd-492c-8009-5e3feb2c5d85.jpg?width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/20/b4eb4812-41bd-492c-8009-5e3feb2c5d85.jpg?width=1000&preset=w800" alt="Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a media conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 (AP)" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a media conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 (<em>AP</em>)
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<p>The United States is weighing restrictive measures against
Spanish-flagged ships following Spain\u2019s decision to block the transit of
<a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pedro-sanchez-demands-accountability-over-gaza-devastation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US military cargo bound for "Israel"</a>, prompting a formal investigation by US maritime authorities, <em>Yahoo News</em> reported.</p>
<p>In late September, the Spanish government, led by Prime Minister
Pedro Sanchez, prohibited US aircraft and vessels carrying weapons,
ammunition, or <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-opens-sedinor-case-over-steel-used-in-israeli-weapons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military equipment destined for "Israel"</a> from transiting through the military bases of Rota in Cádiz and Morón de la Frontera in Seville. The move was adopted in <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-to-maintain-arms-embargo-on--israel--despite-ceasefire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protest against "Israel\u2019s" ongoing war</a> on the Gaza Strip.</p>
<p>The Joint Spanish\u2013US Committee confirmed that the ban applies both to aircraft and <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-approves--total-arms-embargo--over-gaza-genocide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ships traveling directly to "Israel"</a>
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\u2019s
refusal to allow US cargo ships carrying arms to dock at the port of
Algeciras in southern Spain.</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-voices-concern-over-spain-s-restrictions-on-shipments-to" target="_blank" rel="noopener">information on Spain\u2019s current policy</a>,
which it said may create \u201cunfavorable general or special conditions for
maritime transport in US foreign trade" and will determine appropriate
corrective measures.</p>
<p>Spanish authorities maintain that the Defense Cooperation Agreement
governing US military operations in Spain will not be amended.</p>
<p>Under Article 32 of the agreement, the US must obtain authorization
from Spain\u2019s Permanent Committee for operations involving munitions, but
stopovers do not require disclosure of the cargo\u2019s final destination,
ensuring that US-operated bases in Spain remain outside the scope of the
arms embargo.</p>
<h2>Spain takes action against 'Israel'</h2>
<p>Spain has taken a series of<span> </span><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain-to-probe-gaza-rights-abuses-to-aid-icc-case-against--i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formal actions against "Israel\u2019s"</a><span> </span>conduct in the war on Gaza, framing them as efforts to stop the genocide and alleviate humanitarian suffering.<span> </span><span>Spain\u2019s
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.</span></p>
<p><span>On September 17, the Spanish Ministry of Defense </span><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spanish-pm-reveals-9-measures-to-halt-genocide-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancelled two major arms contracts</a><span> with Israeli defence firms worth over $1.1\u202fbillion, signaling a concrete withdrawal from military procurement tied to "Israel".</span></p>
<p><span>Among the measures approved after that announcement, Spain\u2019s
cabinet, on September 9, consolidated restrictions that bar transit by
ships carrying fuel for "Israel\u2019s" armed forces and deny access to
Spanish airspace for state aircraft transporting defence material
destined for "Israel".</span></p>
<p>On September 8, Prime Minister Pedro\u202fSánchez 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.</p>
<p>These steps occurred against a backdrop of sustained Spanish
criticism of "Israel\u2019s" military campaign in Gaza, with Madrid framing
its policy as upholding international law, imposing trade and transit
restrictions, and boosting humanitarian support for Palestinians.</p></div></div></div>
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