Par Euronews
Published on •Updated
ADVERTISEMENTThe Iranian ambassador to Portugal revealed that Tehran would officially question the Portuguese government about the US use of the base of Lajes, in the Azores.
In an interview with Radio RenaissanceMajid Tafreshi said that the American bombings had touched “peaceful nuclear installations” and that he therefore intended to question Portugal’s “neutrality”, since the American military presence was authorized to Lajes under a bilateral agreement between Lisbon and Washington.
“Your government should clarify this situation and we will not fail to question it“He said.
As for the fact that the Azores military base was used by refueling planes, and not by the planes involved in the attacks, Majid Tafreshi concluded: “Supporting or giving bombs does not change much. Because any orientation towards a result, if it occurs, has the same dimension of participation in the aggression. But I don’t think it’s true. We will investigate and see what the result will be“He added.
“If someone participates in a war, for any reason it is part of the assault. We can calculate if it is a simple war or an assault. Again, it’s important. Supply or something else is one of them. But I think it’s too early to make a decision and think about it“Said the Iranian ambassador to Lisbon in Renascença.
In another interview, this time with CNN PortugalMajid Tafreshi repeated: “What is important to know is what the country knew about assault and if it intentionally agrees. And if you agree, the country must declare it with audacity“.
Portugal has confirmed That last Wednesday, June 18, he authorized the United States to park or have 12 military planes with fuel supply functions pass.
“Under the cooperation and defense agreement between Portugal and the United States, the use of the Lajes base for parking or the transit of military aircraft is subject to the prior authorization of the Portuguese State“said the office of the Minister of Defense, Nuno Meloin a press release, stressing that this is a “usual procedure” and that “the planes found in the Azores are refueling planes”.
The Ministry of Defense explains that Portugal “grants specific, quarterly or permanent overflying authorizations, not only in the United States, but also to many other countries“.
According to these authorizations, “Military aircraft parking is normally notified 72 hours in advance or less, due to the unpredictability of certain missions“.
The government’s declaration follows the requests for clarification of the PCP and book, which asked the executive on Sunday if he could guarantee that the planes operating at the base of the Lajes were not used by the United States as part of the offensive against Three Iranian nuclear power plants.
The Lajes base has the second largest supply capacity of the US Air Force outside of American territory, and the largest in Europe for these functions.
