The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, confirmed that he was “notified” by the Government of Luís Montenegro of a “request formulated by the United States for permanence at Lajes Air Base” in the Azores but assured that Portugal was unaware of any US plans to attack Iran.
“The Government communicated what was happening to me. This request was made by the United States for permanence at Lajes Air Base, within the framework of the agreement that has existed for many years, involving refueling aircraft to supply the American fleet in the Atlantic, both naval and aerial. Period. It is a normal situation, which has happened and can happen,” Marcelo explained to journalists on Monday, in Luanda, Angola.
This notification from the United States was received “a few days before” the attack on Iran, and there was no reference to this offensive.
“I don’t know more than that. It was a few days before what happened. Not only did we not have knowledge, but there was nothing in the notification that indicated this,” assured the President of the Republic.
Regarding the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, Marcelo stated he is in sync with the Government but also in line with the UN Secretary-General and various European leaders.
“The Prime Minister came out with a position from the Government, and I published a note regarding the President of the Republic’s position, which is very simple. Naturally, the President is in sync with the Government but also calls attention to being in line with the United Nations Secretary-General and several European leaders who have spoken on three fundamental aspects: concern about the grave nature of the situation, which is extremely serious; appeal for restraint to prevent further escalation, and reopening diplomatic channels,” the Head of State emphasized.
Regarding the “increase in Portugal’s defense investment to 2%”, the President believes the country is “in a position” because the “budget is very flexible and allows for this increase.”
“Furthermore, there was recently a debate in the European Parliament on the allocation of unused funds within the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR], which can be allocated to other uses, possibly also in security matters. It is an ongoing process in the European Union, but Portugal has budget flexibility to meet the requirement by the end of this year,” he added.
On June 13, Israel launched an offensive on Iran, arguing that the advancement of Iran’s nuclear program and Tehran’s manufacture of ballistic missiles represent a direct threat to its security.
Since then, Israeli aircraft have attacked a series of strategic infrastructures, including air defense systems, ballistic missile storage facilities, and the nuclear sites of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo. Commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, intelligence chiefs, and scientists linked to the Iranian nuclear program have also been eliminated.
The Islamic Republic authorities indicated that the bombings have resulted in at least 400 deaths and 3,056 injuries, while the Israeli government reported that missiles launched by Iran in retaliation killed 24 people and injured 1,272 in Israeli territory.
In the early hours of Sunday, the conflict reached a new dimension with the United States entering the war, bombing the three main installations involved in Iran’s nuclear program, including the Fordo facility, with a uranium enrichment capacity of 60%, according to specialists. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Tehran’s theocratic regime with further attacks if “peace is not achieved quickly.”
Tehran declared at the UN that it will be up to the Iranian Armed Forces to decide “the timing, nature, and scale of Iran’s proportional response” to the American bombings, which it warned would have “lasting consequences.”
