Portugal Backs Pakistan's Mediation Efforts While Debate Over Azores Base Cooperation Intensifies

Portugal found itself walking one of the most delicate diplomatic tightropes in its recent history on Monday, as Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel voiced support for Pakistan's mediation efforts to end the Iran conflict — even as US combat drones continued to operate from the Lajes Air Base in the Azores.

The security landscape extends beyond diplomacy — Portugal's intelligence agency recently warned of Russian hackers targeting officials' WhatsApp and Signal accounts.

In a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Rangel praised what the Portuguese Foreign Ministry described as the "intense coordination of the Pakistani government with the international community," adding that Lisbon shared "serious concern over the global economic consequences of the conflict and its humanitarian repercussions."

The statement, posted on X, represents Portugal's clearest public push for a negotiated settlement since the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran began on 28 February. It also underlines the increasingly uncomfortable position Lisbon occupies: publicly calling for peace while quietly serving as a logistics hub for the very military operations driving the war.

The Lajes question

US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones have been landing at Lajes Air Base on the island of Terceira since early April. The deployments have taken on greater strategic significance after Spain — which hosts major US installations at Morón and Rota — closed its airspace and bases to all Iran-related military operations. Italy has imposed similar restrictions.

That leaves Portugal as one of the last major European allies still providing active logistical support for US operations in the Middle East. Washington publicly thanked Lisbon for its "defence cooperation" — a compliment that has not gone unnoticed domestically.

Domestic pressure builds

The Bloco de Esquerda (BE) party has demanded that the government ban US use of Portuguese airspace and the Lajes base entirely. In the Azores, regional president José Manuel Bolieiro has called for a formal review of the bilateral air base cooperation agreement, citing growing unease among islanders about their home being used as a staging point for combat operations.

The governing AD coalition has so far resisted these calls, framing Portugal's cooperation as consistent with its NATO obligations and its historic transatlantic relationship. But the pressure is coming from multiple directions: from the left, which opposes the war outright; from the Azores, where the local political cost is most visible; and from European partners, who may view Portugal's continued cooperation as undermining the bloc's attempt to stake out a more independent position.

Why it matters

Portugal's dual posture — backing mediation while hosting combat drones — is not unusual in diplomacy. Many countries maintain quiet military cooperation while publicly supporting peace processes. But the visibility of the Lajes deployments, combined with Spain's dramatic refusal and the escalating humanitarian toll in Iran, is making the balancing act harder to sustain.

For Lisbon, the calculus involves weighing the transatlantic relationship — including potential defence investment and continued US engagement in the Azores — against the risk of being seen as an outlier among its European peers. With Trump threatening to withdraw from NATO over allied non-cooperation, the cost of saying no has rarely been higher. But as the death toll in Iran passes 1,400 and the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, the cost of saying yes is rising too.