LISBON, March 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 8,000 people signed a petition submitted Monday by Portugal's Left Bloc party, urging the government to ban the use of Lajes Air Base by the United States for military operations against Iran.
According to the party, the letter has been delivered to the official residence of the prime minister, calling on the government to prohibit U.S. aircraft from using the base for strikes targeting Iran.
"We have brought the government an open letter, signed by about 8,500 people, expressing indignation and demanding that the government condemn this conflict and, above all, take concrete action - not just rhetorically, but effectively - by prohibiting the use of the Lajes Air Base by U.S. aircraft for this purpose," the party's coordinator Jose Manuel Pureza said.
The letter also urges Portugal to follow Spain's example by restricting flights linked to the attacks and denying U.S. access to certain military bases. The party accused the government of complicity and said the use of Lajes Air Base could contradict international law.
Pureza also referred to a report by SIC stating that MQ-9 Reaper military drones, often referred to as "killer drones," were scheduled to arrive at the Lajes Air base on Monday night.
"The fact that a significant number of U.S. drones are expected to land at the Lajes Air Base today for use in the conflict further aggravates the Portuguese government's complicity," he said.
According to the official Lusa News Agency, the Portuguese government granted "conditional authorization" for the use of the Lajes Air Base after the start of the attacks, stipulating that the facility could only be used "in response to an attack, within a framework of defense or retaliation," that actions must be "necessary and proportionate," and that targets must be "of a military nature."
Speaking in parliament in mid-March, Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said that, based on information available to the government, U.S. use of the Lajes Air Base "has complied with the conditions underlying the authorization" granted by Portugal.
Since the start of the U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran, multiple refueling aircraft have departed from the Lajes base on a near-daily basis for aerial refueling missions, according to local media. ■