Ramstein is the largest US military base in Europe. How important is it for attacks on Iran and does its use contradict international law?
Donald Trump is delighted - Germany is "great", he told his guest at the White House - Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump's praise refers to the fact that the German government supports the US and Israeli attack on Iran, which is highly controversial from the point of view of international law.
Without mentioning the US Ramstein air base in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, it was clear what Trump was thanking his guest for: "You allow us to land in certain areas and we appreciate that."
Spain denies US access to military bases
However, Spain has a problem with what is apparently acceptable to Germany. Madrid has banned the US from using military facilities on Spanish soil. "The operations that are carried out from the bases must be within the framework of international law," argued Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles. The war against Iran does not fall into this category, she added.
The German government avoids giving a clear answer to this question: "Germany does not question international law. But there are also security interests that are not covered by international law," said a spokesman for Chancellor Merz.
Is the use of Ramstein against Iran legal?
In this regard, the Foreign Ministry refers to a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court from 2025. It concerned deadly drone attacks in Yemen, which were controlled from the US Ramstein air base. "The ruling states that such actions are lawful", said a spokesman for the German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadeful.
However, this only applies to the specific case of two men whose relatives were killed in a targeted US drone attack in Yemen in 2012. The ruling in no way constitutes carte blanche for unlimited military use of Ramstein, as can be read in the reasoning of the Federal Constitutional Court.
According to this ruling, Germany must also protect fundamental human rights and the basic norms of international humanitarian law in relation to people abroad. In doing so, the serious danger of systematic violations of international law must also be taken into account. According to the Federal Constitutional Court, this was not the case in the specific case of the drone attacks in Yemen.
According to the judges, the US has taken sufficient account of the protection of civilians in its fight against international terrorism. The decision refers to "legitimate military targets". The war in Iran has sparked intense debate about international law, so it is unclear how the Constitutional Court would rule if such a case were brought.
How important is the base in Germany to the United States?
The US drone attack on suspected terrorists in Yemen, managed by Ramstein, also killed innocent people. "If they don't know exactly who they are attacking, in case of doubt they should assume it is a civilian", explains lawyer Paulina Starsky from the University of Freiburg. Targeted killings are extremely problematic not only from a humanitarian perspective, but also from an international law perspective.
According to information so far, which has not been officially confirmed, innocent people have already died in the US and Israeli attacks on targets in Iran - several hundred victims. If lawsuits are filed against Germany in the future, it will have to be proven in each individual case that the attack that led to the death was carried out from Ramstein.
There is no doubt that the largest US air base in Europe plays an important role in the war with Iran. "Operations in the Middle East are planned from there, intelligence is analyzed or commands are given to drone pilots in the area of operations", summarizes "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".