The United States is maintaining its strategic bases at Rota and Morón in Spain, despite the withdrawal of tanker aircraft linked to the conflict with Iran. The massive investments committed to these sites rule out, for now, the option of relocating them to Morocco.
The Washington-Rabat axis is consolidating under the Trump administration. Five years after the Abraham Accords, Morocco is emerging as the United States’ largest military customer in Africa, with over $8.5 billion in active contracts. This dynamic is coupled with diplomatic support, as King Mohammed VI has joined the American initiative of the « Peace Council ».
The partnership between Morocco and NATO has reached a new level. A delegation from the NATO Defense College (NDC) visited Rabat for a series of high-level meetings, aimed at intensifying military and academic cooperation in the face of regional security challenges.
55% of Spaniards consider Morocco to be one of the main threats to their country. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Elcano Royal Institute.
In recent years, Morocco has constantly claimed the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The two Spanish enclaves have been at the heart of tensions between the two countries. Spain is increasingly fearing an armed attack by Morocco to recover these territories.
Could Morocco finally succeed in annexing the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla to its territory with the support of Donald Trump? The issue has been fueling debates in Spain since the return of the Republican to the White House.
The Spanish Navy frigate "Méndez Núñez" and the Moroccan Royal Navy frigate "Tarik Ben Ziyad" are participating together in the NATO Passex-type exercise.
Two former senior Spanish army officers, Admiral Juan Rodríguez Garat and Lieutenant General Francisco Gan Pampols, consider a Moroccan military attack on Ceuta and Melilla unlikely.
The President of Melilla, Eduardo Castro, reiterated to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, his fears about Morocco’s persistent annexationist intentions on Ceuta and Melilla.
Spain has failed to convince NATO to ensure the protection of Ceuta and Melilla in the event of an attack, let alone to have the Alliance’s ships transit through the ports of the autonomous cities to carry out technical stopovers or refueling.
The new NATO strategic document approved on Wednesday at the summit in Madrid, without expressly mentioning Ceuta and Melilla, reaffirmed the Alliance’s determination to "preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all allies against any aggressor".
Morocco participated on Tuesday in a defense summit organized by the United States at the Ramstein air base in Germany, to discuss international aid for the defense of Ukraine.