Trump lashed out again

Jan Christoph Freybott and Michael Evers

Paris (dpa) — US President Donald Trump has attacked France in a dispute over the use of its airspace for the Iran war, saying France refused overflight rights to aircraft carrying military goods bound for Israel.

“The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social on Tuesday. “France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!”

However, the Élysée Palace said in response that there has been no closure of French airspace for aircraft linked to the Iran war, Le Monde newspaper reported.

“US aircraft are allowed to overfly French sovereign territory provided they comply with international rules for overflights by state aircraft,” a diplomatic source told the newspaper.

Trump lashed out again

Military flights over France must be authorized individually. Citing three official sources who did not want to be named, Le Monde reported that fighter jets and transport aircraft carrying military goods currently have to obtain permission from France for each flight, a so-called “diplomatic overflight clearance.”

It is therefore possible that individual flights did not receive authorization immediately and that this prompted Trump’s reaction, it said.

The Élysée Palace said it was “surprised” by the US president’s statement. “France has not changed its position since the first day and we reaffirm this decision which is in line with the French position since the start of this conflict,” the Élysée Palace said.

Earlier, Italy refused several US aircraft permission to land for the war against Iran, involving a base in Sicily. The Spanish government even closed its airspace to all aircraft linked to the war against Iran. The British government is also at odds with the US over the use of air force bases.