U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a thank-you on April 1, 2026 to the country of Portugal for its close and defense cooperation during a phone call with his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel. Principal State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott put out a statement concerning the matter, going on to say, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel and highlighted the continued strength of U.S.-Portugal bilateral ties.”
He then added, “Secretary Rubio thanked Foreign Minister Rangel for Portugal’s close economic and defense cooperation. Both leaders expressed their commitment to transatlantic security.” Portugal’s Foreign Ministry published a post on social media that detailed the conversation between Rangel and Rubio, noting the two men discussed the situation in the Middle East and the critical importance of the transatlantic link.
Both government officials also talked about the bilateral relations between the U.S. and Portugal concerning economy and defense. Unlike Spain and other European nations, Portugal has allowed the United States to use their military bases, such as the Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island, in the ongoing operations to take down the Iranian Islamic regime.
According to Breitbart News, the Portuguese newspaper Expresso is reporting that since the war in Iran started, the Lajes Air Base has been a “key logistics hub” for the U.S. with several military aircraft, such as refueling planes taking off from the base on daily missions. The usage of the base is being carried out under the terms of a “conditional authorization” that has granted to the U.S. by the Portuguese government.
It was provided under the terms of an already existing agreement between both countries that includes a requirement that the infrastructure of the base only be used “in response to an attack, in a context of defense or retaliation.” It also stated that the actions taken by the military needed to be “necessary and proportionate” and could only “target military targets.”
Foreign Minister Rangel also explained that the agreement was given the thumbs up as soon as the United States informed the country it intended to carry out military strikes against Iran and that the Lajes Air Base would be used to stage and carry out those operations. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro told Portugal’s Parliament in mid-March that the use of the base by U.S. forces “has fully complied” with the authorization’s terms.
“I would like to take this opportunity to inform Parliament that, to the best of our knowledge and based on our oversight, the use of the Lajes Base has fully complied with the conditions underlying the authorization granted by the Portuguese Republic,” Montenegro is said to have stated at the time. President Donald Trump has made it clear that other nations in Europe who haven’t been lending a hand to help prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon are now on his bad side.
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Trump took to Truth Social where he slammed allies “like the United Kingdom” for not playing a part in the “decapitation of Iran,” and working with the U.S. to secure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, telling them they will need to fight and get their own oil or buy from the United States. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” the president said.
Watch Secretary Rubio break down the logic behind the attacks in Iran: