World Affairs
Portugal’s prosecutors open inquiry into US use of Lajes during Iran war
The prosecutor’s office disclosed little about the inquiry. Portugal’s government has said it authorized the use under assurances that US operations were defensive and proportionate; the legal question remains unresolved.
Executive summary
- An inquiry, not a verdict: Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office said it opened an inquiry after members of the Left Bloc filed a complaint over the government’s authorization for US use of Lajes Air Base in the Azores during the Iran conflict. Prosecutors disclosed no further details; no finding or charges have been announced.[1][2][3]
- The government’s stated position: Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said in April that Portugal was not involved in the US operation and that the authorization followed assurances that the strikes were defensive, necessary and proportionate. That is the government’s position, not a prosecutorial conclusion.[4]
- What the agreement says: The 1995 technical agreement between Portugal and the United States lists certain authorized uses and says uses outside those categories require prior authorization. Whether the agreement covered the specific flights is a question for the inquiry; the agreement alone does not resolve it.[5][1]
Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that it had opened an inquiry into the government’s authorization for US use of Lajes Air Base during the Iran war. The office said it acted after receiving a complaint from members of the Left Bloc, an opposition party. Reuters reported that the Foreign Ministry declined to comment. The prosecutor’s statement did not describe investigative steps or make a finding about whether any law was broken.[1][2][3]
The complaint was filed by the Left Bloc, which has argued that the US use should not have been allowed. The existence of an inquiry confirms that prosecutors are examining the complaint; it does not establish that the government acted unlawfully or that officials face charges.[3][6][1]
The legal framework includes a 1995 technical agreement between Portugal and the United States. Article I lists specified authorizations, including uses connected to NATO, and says uses that do not fall within the listed situations are subject to prior authorization. The text does not itself answer how the agreement applies to the flights at issue. That assessment is for the competent Portuguese authorities, and the inquiry has not publicly resolved it.[5]
Portugal’s government has said it allowed several US transit flights after receiving assurances that the operations were defensive and that targets were military. Rangel told parliament in April that Portugal was not involved in the strikes and that the use of Lajes complied with international law. Those statements describe the government’s reasoning; prosecutors have not publicly endorsed or rejected it.[4][1]
Portugal’s prosecutor’s office has not publicly set out the complaint’s full contents or said what evidence it will examine. The reporting reviewed for this article identified no charges or formal finding. The inquiry therefore marks a new legal review of a politically contested decision, while the underlying legal question remains open.[1][2][3]