No Exit: NATO can’t suspend its members
An Euronews explainer clarifies that NATO cannot suspend or expel a member because the alliance’s founding treaty contains no provision for removal. Article 5, the cornerstone of the pact, obliges members to defend one another only in response to external attacks on territory in Europe, North America, Turkey and related areas, and it has been invoked only after 9/11. While the US has pressed allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, NATO as a defensive alliance is not obligated to intervene in actions by members outside its territory, and a leaked Pentagon email suggesting suspending Spain is legally impossible. As of 2024 NATO has 32 members, and the Iran conflict has indirectly affected alliances, with more than 40 countries pledging assets to reopen Hormuz.