USA in Lajes: On the left, only the PS was “enlightened” by the Government’s explanations

On the left, only the Socialist Party (PS) was “enlightened” by the explanations given by the Ministry of Defence regarding the presence of 12 Air Force planes last Friday at the Lajes Base in the Azores, hours before the US attack on Iran. Livre, PCP and Bloco de Esquerda consider the clarifications provided by the Government to be “insufficient”.

The presence of these aircraft was confirmed by the ministry overseen by Nuno Melo, in a statement on Sunday night, indicating that “on June 18, [Wednesday] the USA requested, through a diplomatic note, authorization for 12 tanker aircraft to use the Lajes Base, which was granted”. “In this notification, it is stated that the mission of the aircraft is to support the North American Naval Force in the Atlantic”, added the ministry, stressing that this is “a standard procedure”.

In the same statement, Nuno Melo states that the planes in the Azores are for “aerial refueling” and are not offensive means. He ends by saying that “no US combat vehicles have passed through Lajes Base for over a month” and that apart from this request, issued “through regular and appropriate channels, there has been no further contact from the US authorities”.

Over the weekend, the PS, Livre, PCP and Bloco asked the executive for clarification on the presence of 12 US planes at the Portuguese base. When asked by Jornal Económico (JE) whether the explanations given by the Ministry of Defence had been sufficient, only the PS, through MP Francisco César, responded that it had been “clarified”.

Conversely, Livre claims that the responses from the Ministry of Defence were “superficial and insufficient” and demonstrate a “failure by the Government to properly clarify the events”. Rui Tavares’ party argues that it is “fundamental” that both Parliament and the rest of society “are aware and follow” the issue of the Lajes Base.

“The Government, which does not have an absolute majority, should meet and listen to the parties in the Assembly of the Republic, because if Luís Montenegro said that it is necessary to return to diplomacy, he runs the risk of being accused of having facilitated attacks that are contrary to International Law. Limiting itself to confirming the refueling of American planes, without clarifying the recent presence of combat vehicles, is inadequate given the gravity of the situation”, Livre argues in a written response.

The PCP and the Bloco de Esquerda are aligned with these criticisms. The communists point out that Nuno Melo’s statement “does not contain the clarifications that are required” and accuse the “Government of trying to avoid confirming what seems to be increasingly evident, that there was an effective use of the Lajes Bases by the United States of America in the attack on Iran”.

“It is unacceptable that the Government accepts and collaborates, from the Lajes Bases, involving Portugal, in the US attack on Iran, in clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law”, the PCP points out. “What is essential is that the Government condemns the US aggression against Iran, which it has not yet done, and that it intervenes within the framework of constitutional provisions, contributing to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, and not fueling the escalation of war”, it concludes.

The Left Bloc states that the Government “continues to fail to provide explanations for the questions raised” by the party “about its position regarding the use of national infrastructure and maritime airspace involved in missions within the framework of the illegal aggression against Iran” and considers it “worrying that Portugal could serve as a military support point in the deepening of a conflict that began with an illegal aggression”.

“Portugal must close its maritime and airspace to any ship or aircraft involved in actions whose ultimate purpose is an illegal military attack,” argues Mariana Mortágua.

On Monday, Iran's ambassador to Portugal told Rádio Renascença that he would ask for clarification on the use of the Lajes Base by the US. "If someone participates in any war, for any reason, they are part of that aggression," said the diplomat, who wants to believe in Portugal's "neutrality" in the attack against Iran.

NATO sees no illegality in US operation

The US entered the conflict between Israel and Iran last weekend, prompting the Iranians to retaliate by attacking a US military base in Qatar.

Hours later, the US president announced a ceasefire plan to end the 12-day war that has ravaged the Middle East, but Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has already said that Iran has launched missiles after the truce came into effect. Katz said he has instructed the Israeli military to resume attacks on Iranian paramilitary and government targets.

The conflict between Israel and Iran will be one of the topics discussed at the NATO summit that kicks off this Tuesday in The Hague, Netherlands , with the secretary general of the Atlantic alliance having already argued, on the eve of the meeting, that the US attack complied with international law. At the press conference ahead of the summit, the secretary general of the alliance also said that the 32 countries that make up the political-military organization “agreed long ago that Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons”.

The war between Israel and Iran was triggered in mid-June by Israeli bombings of Iranian territory, prompting retaliation from Tehran. The conflict, which has already left hundreds dead and injured on both sides, took on a new dimension with the US bombing of several Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Fordo complex. Fordo, which experts say has the capacity to enrich uranium to 60 percent, is located about 100 kilometers south of Tehran, whose metropolitan area has a population of 14 million people.