Spain dismisses report of U.S. Defense Department considering move to suspend Spain from NATO

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday dismissed a report that the U.S. Department of Defense is considering suspending Spain from NATO, saying his country is a "reliable member" of the seven-decade-old transatlantic military alliance.

The Reuters news agency reported Friday that an internal Pentagon email had floated the idea of punishing allies deemed to have failed to support the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. One option being considered, a U.S. official told Reuters, was suspending Spain from the alliance.

Neither the Trump administration nor the Department of Defense have confirmed the existence of the email or its contents.

Arriving at a meeting of European Union leaders Friday, Sanchez dismissed the report.

"We don't work on emails but on official documents and positions taken by the U.S. government," Sanchez told reporters. "The position of the Spanish government is clear; absolute collaboration with allies but always within the limits of International Law."

He called Spain a "reliable member" of the alliance, and said, "as a result, I am absolutely not worried."

CBS News' British partner network BBC on Friday quoted a NATO official as saying it would not be possible for the U.S. to unilaterally suspend another member state, saying the organization's founding treaty "does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership, or expulsion."