This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an inquiry into the legality of US military use of Lajes Air Base ahead of its war against Iran, according to media reports.
The inquiry follows a complaint filed by the Left Bloc in April, which called for an investigation into whether the use of the base violated domestic and international law, broadcaster RTP reported Friday.
The party then asked the Attorney General’s Office to investigate whether the use of the base complied with the law, arguing from the outset that it constituted a “gross violation of International Law.”
The coordinator of the Left Bloc, Joss Manuel Pureza, stated at the time that “either the Government” was “in agreement with the gross violation of International Law and Portuguese Law,” or it lacked the “political backbone” to “remove itself from illegality.”
READ: Dual UK-Iranian national arrested over suspected RAF Fairford plot released on bail
Pureza also questioned the position taken by Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, who has denied any violation of the agreement between Portugal and the US regarding the military use of Lajes or of International Law.
“I suppose that, moreover, Minister Paulo Rangel himself doesn’t believe what he’s saying. Because saying that the Lajes Air Base isn’t being used for aggressive purposes is pure fabrication. Saying that the Lajes Air Base agreement is being fulfilled is another fabrication.”
According to the report, Pureza believes it is necessary to wait for the conclusions of the inquiry, but understands that, “by taking this step,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office acknowledges that “there is merit” in the complaint filed by the party.
READ: Trump’s national security team holds unannounced Camp David talks on Iran war, Yemen: Axios
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Hundreds protest in Israel against Netanyahu’s push for judicial changes
- Hundreds protest Israeli attacks on Palestine, Lebanon in Stockholm
- Portugal investigates US use of Lajes Air Base ahead of Iran war
- Israeli occupiers injure 16 Palestinians, burn 55 olive trees in West Bank attacks
- Dual UK-Iranian national arrested over suspected RAF Fairford plot released on bail
- Around 5,600 children among 22,000 Gaza patients awaiting medical evacuation, official says
- Displaced Palestinians in Gaza call for humanitarian aid as winter approaches
- Egyptian president rejects use of Nile water for political gains, urges peaceful solutions to African crises
- Houthis claim Saudi airstrikes targeted Sanaa, telecom network in Yemen
- Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem mourns 2 Christian women killed by Israel in Gaza
- Egyptian president calls for peaceful solutions to conflicts in Africa
- Funeral ceremony for two Palestinian Christians after an Israeli attack in Gaza
- What Indonesia’s new foreign minister must do in the Middle East
- Egypt denies any role in Ethiopian conflict
- Israel’s ongoing truce violations kill 5 in Gaza Strip
- Yemeni army carries out 71 operations against Houthi positions in country’s southwest
- US Muslim group urges White House, Congress to demand release of American teen held by Israel
- Why Afghanistan is becoming a pressure point for Pakistan’s Middle East ambitions
- US senator says AIPAC plans to spend $233M to defeat candidates critical of Netanyahu gov’t
- Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt: Is the US Strategy of Attrition Ill-Suited to Defeat Iran?
- Trump’s national security team holds unannounced Camp David talks on Iran war, Yemen: Axios
- 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli occupier attacks in West Bank since start of 2026
- Former Israeli premier accuses Netanyahu of preparing ground for war that could delay elections
- US senator urges Congress to cut off funding for Iran war
- Israeli minister says entire West Bank ‘belongs to Israel,’ threatens to dismantle Palestinian Authority
- Israel’s ‘arbitrary’ checkpoints ‘choking’ Palestinian life in West Bank: UN special rapporteur
- Ending the war requires accepting Iran in the Middle East
- Türkiye denounces Houthi strike on infrastructure serving Prophet’s Mosque
- UAE warns UK over potential fallout from Manchester City sanctions: Report
- Israeli forces detain 2 Syrians during incursion into southern Syrian village
- Iraq allows 40 daily flights by Iranian airlines to and from Najaf airport
- 3 Palestinians killed, 4 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza despite ceasefire
- Mecca pact strategic political defense committee to meet ‘soon’: Pakistan’s foreign minister
- Flydubai suspends Tel Aviv flights until further notice at authorities’ request: CEO
- Over 11,400 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa during Jewish holiday season
- From Barakah to Masdar: The architecture of the UAE’s new energy leverage
- Around 79,000 children displaced in western Yemen in less than a month: UNICEF
- Top UAE adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident ‘terrorist act’
- Israeli opposition leader says young Israelis backed killing ‘everyone’ in Gaza
- Israel’s Supreme Court overturns ban on 2 Arab lists running in Knesset election
- US Energy Department engineer arrested over alleged support for Houthis
- UAE spymaster who wants to ‘eliminate all threats’ seeks an iron grip on AI’s future
- Large volumes of medical supplies for Gaza face wait times of 74 days for Israeli clearance: WHO
- Netanyahu bloc projected to win 51 seats in Oct. 27 elections, opposition 53: Poll
- Lebanon’s prime minister calls for full Israeli withdrawal, one army
- Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits
- Iran’s new Hezbollah strategy is about survival, not victory
- Eritrea severs diplomatic ties with Ethiopia as tensions escalate
- Turkey, Syria reject claims of meeting between Syrian government, Hezbollah officials
- UN official says criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job
