Marco Rubio praises Romania for its support in the war with Iran and puts pressure on NATO allies who said "no" to America.

Romania is among the NATO allies "that have been very helpful to the United States" in the conflict with Iran, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who openly praised Bucharest, along with Portugal, Poland, and Bulgaria, for their willingness to support American operations. Rubio also recalled recent discussions with Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu, in which she thanked for the "swift and decisive support" provided by Romania for U.S. missions in the Middle East and for the openness to deepen bilateral cooperation in strategic areas such as defense, energy, and civil nuclear projects.

In the same context, the head of American diplomacy harshly criticized Spain, describing it as "atrocious" and "horrifying," after Madrid banned the use of its bases and airspace by American forces involved in the war with Iran. "When you have NATO partners who refuse you the use of bases, when the main reason NATO is good for America – access to European military infrastructure – is denied to us by countries like Spain, then what is the purpose of the alliance?" Rubio said, warning that discussions are increasingly taking place in Washington about a "reassessment" of the commitment to NATO.

According to Rubio, the experience of the war with Iran has created a rift between allies considered "true partners," like Romania, which responded promptly to American requests, and those who have "frequently vetoed" access to bases and critical infrastructure. "It becomes a situation where some are allies only when they want to be. Why should we be there just to protect them, but not be able to use the alliance to defend our own national interest? It is a legitimate question," insisted the Secretary of State, praising, in contrast, countries like Romania for demonstrating "what it means, in practice, to show allied solidarity."