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News & Current Events Apr 2, 2026 at 3:12 PM

Austria has denied US use of airspace for Iran military operations

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dobik Apr 2, 2026 +1250
Austria denies US the airspace Trump: not acceptable, we will leave NATO due to this NATO: but Austria is not a member. Trump: don't change the topic
1250
socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +379
Austria closing airspace is also more significant than it may appear at first glance. Spain, France and Switzerland have already closed it which creates a really long East-West stretch which the US can't use for logistics.
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kraeutrpolizei Apr 2, 2026 +120
We probably didn’t want our airspace clogged up like the Brenner
120
Hawk15517 Apr 2, 2026 +51
We did the same during the Iraq war and caught 2 F-117 trying to sneak through
51
falconzord Apr 2, 2026 +7
Trying or did they make it?
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Hawk15517 Apr 2, 2026 +28
Trying we escorted them back to the german boarder
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Spare-Bodybuilder-68 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Coolest looking plane that was never *quite* as sneaky as it was supposed to be lol.
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MobiusF117 Apr 2, 2026 +12
When looking at flight radars, you can see all US flights diverting over Czechia now. Too bad the odds of them closing their airspace to US activity is pretty slim...
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ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +13
Eh, Austria is on the other side of the world.
13
socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +41
The fastest route between the US East Coast and the Middle East is to fly North over the arctic and then down through Europe. If you were booking commercial from NYC to most Middle Eastern cities the route you would take would involve flying over either Spain, France, Switzerland or Austria.
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ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +17
Why should they fly over Austria? Is New Zealand not available?
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spookmann Apr 2, 2026 +33
Unfortunately, no. The standard-issue USAF map does not include New Zealand.
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SouthAustralian94 Apr 2, 2026 +18
As an Australian, I'm also very confused. We're nowhere near France, Spain and Switzerland. What do we have to do with that airspace?
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ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +9
Hmm? You guys are right under Germany. Salzburg and so on.
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MattAmpersand Apr 2, 2026 +115
“Have Sydney bombed!” “But Mr President, that is-“ “Do as I say!”
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Tyler10274 Apr 2, 2026 +30
...Why can I see this happening?
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dobik Apr 2, 2026 +10
It took me way to long to understand the joke :p I sent a postcard to a friend from us to Austria. It went to Australia, where they sent it back to Austria. Definitely not the first time it happened.
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FixedFun1 Apr 2, 2026 +7
Are they saying "boo" or "boo-onald trump"?
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OddTaku9424 Apr 2, 2026 +4
Sounds like a transcript lol
4
ceph2apod Apr 2, 2026 +1587
"The Iran war means Beijing gets to be the global “adult in the room” and a chance to study the military readiness and tactics of its chief rival," per Bloomberg
1587
IndieRus Apr 2, 2026 +497
It’s clear to any housewife without an international relations degree.
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Original_Astronaut_4 Apr 2, 2026 +21
lol, I’m a housewife with an international relations degree
21
SethOval Apr 2, 2026 +76
Is this basically “don’t send shit in our airspace or else!”?
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Floatzel404 Apr 2, 2026 +25
It's a "Don't send shit in our airspace or we will write a Twitter post and send a strongly worded letter"
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paintbucketholder Apr 2, 2026 +23
Yeah, Austria is not going to shoot down US planes. But they'll also not participate in future American military adventures, they won't make concessions in future negotiations, they'll reject American requests for assistance, they'll make their opinion known in the European Union and the UN, and they'll be able to do quite some outsized damage to America's soft power compared to their relatively small size. But hey, let's just keep alienating every single country on Earth (except for a few dictatorships) and tell ourselves it doesn't matter because all they can do is "write a Twitter post and send a strongly worded letter."
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BellyCrawler Apr 2, 2026 +52
Yeah but we live in truly idiotic times, so this pedophilic Russian asset has millions of supporters despite being the most chaotic, incompetent, and corrupt administration in American history. So Russia gets to destroy America and China gets to assess how ready they are for the big fight. You couldn't have written this any better for China.
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spookmann Apr 2, 2026 +4
> It’s clear to any housewife without an international relations degree. To be fair, it's also pretty clear to those housewives who *do* have an international relations degree.
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Vammypoker Apr 2, 2026 +13
U need an international relations degree for that?
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ConnorMarsh Apr 2, 2026 +8
"without"
8
dragnansdragon Apr 2, 2026 +7
Idk why I read your comment as "it's clear to any wafflehouse wife"
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Muted_Ad_906 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Oh, don’t discriminate the househusbands, I’m sure they also understood something :P
1
truttatrotta Apr 2, 2026 +105
And this is one of the reasons normal presidents aren’t so stupid. They actually take knock on effects and loads of other stuff that we wouldn’t even think of into account before making decisions. But Trump is a moron who knows better than everyone so wouldn’t even listen to people who know those things.
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nomm_ Apr 2, 2026 +24
Shit, we'd all be better off if only he'd take any *effects* into account, let alone knock-on ones.
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lefix Apr 2, 2026 +15
We would all be better off if he just played golf everyday
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jackp0t789 Apr 2, 2026 +97
Looking back over the entire 21st century so far, between actions of the US, Russia, and China, China has been acting like the only adult in the room the entire time.
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socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +24
This is one of the reasons I'm actually kind of skeptical that China just suddenly opts to invade Taiwan. They haven't fought a war since 1979 and they've been dominating in terms of growing geopolitical influence. If Russia doesn't control all of Ukraine they cannot be a great power and so for them they had to either abandon their imperialistic goals or invade Ukraine. All China has to do to be a great power is sit back, make trade deals and invest in their economy and military.
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LoganJFisher Apr 2, 2026 +7
An actual invasion of Taiwan probably won't happen. It's in China's interests to instead just make Taiwan economically unsustainable without bowing to Chinese rule. They project force to keep the US on its toes and wasting far more money on its military, but they're not going to use it.
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bluehelmet Apr 2, 2026 +77
The adult in the room crushing Hongkong democracy and developing invasion barges for the upcoming Taiwan takeover.
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TruculentTurtIe Apr 2, 2026 +39
I think they just mean things like "consistent, rational, long term oriented etc" Trump will sign a deal with you one day and rip it up the very next, and declare you an idiot. China arent the "good guys" and are by no means benevolent, but you can work with them. They'll screw you over if they have the chance they deem the rewards worthy, but in a more standard way- trump will screw you over, for no reason, to his own detriment, like a lunatic. I look at it like: China isnt *good*, but theyre not *insane* And I guess thats where the bar is lol
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idiocy_incarnate Apr 2, 2026 +15
> Trump will sign a deal with you one day and rip it up the very next, and declare you an idiot. well, you did sign a deal with him, so he may have a point.
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jackp0t789 Apr 2, 2026 +99
No one ever said they had to be *good* adults in the room...
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bluehelmet Apr 2, 2026 +9
Well, true.
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BellyCrawler Apr 2, 2026 +31
That's the problem. The adult in the room being an authoritarian state is bad news for everyone.
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boissez Apr 2, 2026 +18
Lawful evil is better than chaotic evil I guess.
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Nolenag Apr 2, 2026 +3
The US is an authoritarian state with (previously) good PR though.
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lucitatecapacita Apr 2, 2026 +37
Well the US has overthrown many more democracies: Chile, Argentina, Bolivi, Brazil... I could go on. Also, we've been threatening to annex Canada, Greenland and Cuba
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Temples_of_Syrinx_ Apr 2, 2026 +29
US have overthown its own democracy
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19degreez Apr 2, 2026 +11
How ironic yet sad and true
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Nolenag Apr 2, 2026 +3
> The adult in the room crushing Hongkong democracy Why did Trump send ICE to Democrat states/cities? Or anything Trump did, really.
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Kyle700 Apr 2, 2026 +3
The US has pulled nearly every defensive system in east asia out to assist in the iran war, our reserve of high end missile arms are depleted. EVEN given all this, china still isn't invading!! yet you still have commentors like this making them out to be some big evil imperialist WHILE THE UNITED STATES WAGES WAR AND OPENLY STEALS OIL ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET
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Johannes_P Apr 2, 2026 +2
They're *comparatively* the adults in the room, at least until EU integration grows.
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TIMCIFLTFC Apr 2, 2026 +1
Don’t forget Tibet. Remember the Free Tibet movement? Most Listnookors weren’t alive then.
1
Jae_Rides_Apes Apr 2, 2026 +7
Time to learn Mandarin I guess.
7
Pin_ny Apr 2, 2026 +393
Here we go. At this pace, just ask for the whole EU airspace denying for US military. Here we are guys !
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KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +209
UK is regrettably still allowing use of bases. But the irony is that for every mission, the US is now having to fly B1's and B-52's out of the UK, across the Bay of Biscay, through the Straights of Gibraltar, length of the Med avoiding going into national airspace before even reaching the middle East. They then have to cross Syria, Iraq* and then into Iran before doing the whole route back again once they're bombed. Time on target, fuel burn, crew exhaustion, all got to be killing moral and logistics at doing this. Trump says that the US doesn't need the UK. Ok, challenge accepted. Time to say UK sky's cannot be used for US military missions! *Edit: Not Syria Iraq, but Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Link: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/us-bombers-avoid-european-airspace-on-iran-bombing-runs/
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SethOval Apr 2, 2026 +79
On the poor dime.  What did Trump say? We can’t fund Medicaid because of these wars. This is the Christian Right.  Never Forget.  
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killafofun Apr 2, 2026 +33
Rough math using distance plotter on google maps, 4800 miles vs 2700 miles
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KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +23
For a B52 with average cruise speed of around 550mph, that's 8.5 to 9 hrs in flight time to cover the 4,800 miles. That's crew fatigue.
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binzoma Apr 3, 2026 +3
also cost. the fuel that those planes need was already expensive.
3
Ohilevoe Apr 3, 2026 +6
And maintenance on ancient frames we can't replace.
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Pin_ny Apr 2, 2026 +5
It would be so good
5
Darkone539 Apr 2, 2026 +8
>UK is regrettably still allowing use of bases. But the irony is that for every mission, the US is now having to fly B1's and B-52's out of the UK, across the Bay of Biscay, through the Straights of Gibraltar, length of the Med avoiding going into national airspace before even reaching the middle East What point do they just use deago Garcia?
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KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +30
Transatlantic air shipping to UK is far quicker and easier than sea freight or extreme long air freight to Diego Garcia. As munitions are coming from US mainland states, UK is an intermediate stop over. I'd like UK to refuse. Trump has said he doesn't need the UK, so lets see how working with just DG as a logistics works out for him.
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Darkone539 Apr 2, 2026 +21
>I'd like UK to refuse. Trump has said he doesn't need the UK, so lets see how working with just DG as a logistics works out for him. If the UK says no, they can't use DG either. That was their frustration at the start of the war, the British blocked them used their bases.
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AssistX Apr 2, 2026 +6
Don't think the US is flying out of DG at all for Iran, that was why the UK allowed them to use RAF Fairford. The UK has created a bit of a mess with DG, curious to see what comes out of it. It's always been a point of contention that China wants a larger military footprint in the indian ocean and given how close Mauritius is with China I'm surprised the UK was just willing to accept just a lease. I think this is just more retraction of the UK influence they once wielded. Their military isn't what it once was and they've no real need for the base with the other reductions of the last century in south east asia. Downside is it opens the door for China to have significantly more influence in SEA and Africa. It's not surprising the US is taken aback by the sale agreement, Australia also was not too pleased as it will likely lead to them being forced to give back Islands they currently rely on(in tandem with Diego Garcia) for maintaining maritime traffic and security in Indonesia and the Indian ocean. I think the US will likely find a new partner along the Indian ocean for a base, most likely India or Sri Lanka, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see Australia and the US develop a base somewhere together.
6
KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +6
It's a bit of a weird one. To the general UK public, DG is an island of no civilian interest in a body of water thousands of miles a way with less generational connection than Falkland's that was fought over. It's not like Cyprus which is close to home and a couple hours flight for a holiday on the beach. To the general public, they couldn't care less on it's geopolitical significance - it's an outpost out there somewhere. Years ago when it was a stepping stone to the colonies and defence of trade between them so it had significance. Today? Not really. There's no UK interest inter-empire trade to defend. UK interests are in trade between the UK, EU, US, India and China. Iranian oil for example has mainly second order effects - we'll feel the cost increase in finish Asian goods being imported - probably more than first order of oil and gas shortages. And if we do or don't have DG, that's not really going to sway anything. If China has greater influence or control into the region, it'll be uncomfortable, but not destructive. UK energy independence is coming along, oil is imported from the US, food stuffs is EU and global........ USA at the moment is encouraging more EU integration and trade and lower dependence on North America and oil states. Had this been a multinational war and the US with a coalition had gone in, then DG would be a significant staging post, but then again, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman, UAE and other would have been more likely to be in support and Cyprus and friendly bases in Italy and Germany would be used too, so DG would have been a back up rather than primary hub. But as Trump has done this, and Trump is wanting to put RN capital ships into harms way with a war that Trump has started with no off-ramps, strategy, long terms goals or co-ordination, then RN & RAF has little interest in being involved. He's not building any case for co-operation. There's a lot of backstage posturing and positioning on this and a good deal of clock watching. Trump will fold in the coming weeks if not escalating. Everyone knows mid-terms will destroy Trump so I feel is almost slow-rolling this to stall until Trumps position collapses. At the same time, Trump and Iran could escalate in unknown ways. I'd wager that there's a lot more talk between EU military and EU trade envoys in preparations here for when the shit hits the fan. Until then, it's wait and watch Trump range and implode and don't be concerned about the rhetoric, "Truths", angry rage outbursts and crazy comments.
6
AssistX Apr 2, 2026 +5
might post later but I wouldn't count on Trump backing out with his tail between his legs. The Pentagon will happily drop $1 trillion on a war that has stalled than back out with their tail between their legs. It's total armchair speculation to assume that Israel and the US have no plan, they've dropped 13k+ strikes on Iran and there's been less deaths than guns have killed in America in the same time frame. I also think Iran will cut a deal because the regime wants to live. The longer the war goes on the worse for leadership in charge, we've seen this over and over in history. Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. Eventually the populace fights back.
5
KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +7
My view is "the regime" is being replaced with "the regime." The US language, Trumps language in public addresses, all talk about the "new regime." So it's still going to be a regime? Where's the "we are talking to the new government in waiting, with a plan for democratic elections and a change of structure"? In my view, if IRG holds out Trump will eventually fade and IRG as a regime will go on and survive. The longer the IRG holds out, the closer IRG comes to bringing economic collapse elsewhere and will win out eventually. So they'll keep the straights closed and hold onto their ace card. Other nations will not want to go in or police the straights. It's a baited trap and everyone can see it. Any nation that puts any ship in there is asking for drones, sea skimmers, ballistic missiles, the lot. Everyone will hold out. UK has x2 carriers with only, x1 deployed at a time. It would be insanity for the RN to commit a carrier group into there. So Trump has two options - turn tail or go in with the USN. He's too narcissistic to about turn so more likely to commit a ship or ships going in to open and police. The one thing that IRG propaganda force and (IRG) nationalistic pride wants more than anything is to be the sanctioned and beat down underdog country, standing up to these imperialistic, forceful and arrogant Americans and gets to be the only nation in decades to hit a US nuclear carrier and do damage. All Iran has to do is roll with the punches for now, wait for the time for the targets to start venturing into the gulf and then unleash as many weapons as possible into any USN fleet coming in. The fallout of being the beaten country attacking, hitting or even sinking a ship in the worlds strongest navy would be insane to the minds of all US citizens and IRG loyalists. Iran would get the win, US citizens would be losing their shit at a billion dollar CVN being hit or at worst sunk. I see this is the biggest reason for all other countries are stepping back from any policing in the Gulf knowing that the waters are baited, loaded and the trap waiting to be sprung. Everyone knows Trump has made this issue and should be the responcible to diffusing the trap.
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Darkone539 Apr 2, 2026 +2
>Don't think the US is flying out of DG at all for Iran, that was why the UK allowed them to use RAF Fairford. The UK has created a bit of a mess with DG, curious to see what comes out of it. It's always been a point of contention that China wants a larger military footprint in the indian ocean and given how close Mauritius is with China I'm surprised the UK was just willing to accept just a lease. Nothing to do with that. Because of how planes work, and the curve of the earth, it's half the distance to fly from the UK to Iran the dg to Iran. 2000 vs 4000 miles. This is also why people freaked at Iran having a missile able to get there. If it can hit the island then it can hit London.
2
VividBackground3386 Apr 2, 2026 +5
The UK can also veto that
5
fitzgoldy Apr 2, 2026 +4
> UK is regrettably still allowing use of bases. Iran shouldn't have attacked the UK then, that only started after that.
4
KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +3
"UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in [Cyprus](https://www.theguardian.com/world/cyprus) evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq." [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/uk-defence-minister-flies-to-cyprus-drone-strike-raf-base-iran-war-middle-east-crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/uk-defence-minister-flies-to-cyprus-drone-strike-raf-base-iran-war-middle-east-crisis) If UK had attacked in response, there would be debate about falling into a war with Iran rather than an Iranian proxy.
3
Volodio Apr 2, 2026 +4
The UK was targeted by Iran, it is only after that the UK started allowing the US to use its bases. If the UK were to refuse, it would make it more vulnerable to Iran.
4
KIAA0319 Apr 2, 2026 +6
Why? "UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in [Cyprus](https://www.theguardian.com/world/cyprus) evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq." [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/uk-defence-minister-flies-to-cyprus-drone-strike-raf-base-iran-war-middle-east-crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/uk-defence-minister-flies-to-cyprus-drone-strike-raf-base-iran-war-middle-east-crisis) If UK had attacked Iran in response, there would be debate about falling into a war with Iran rather than an Iranian proxy. The right thing to do would be to have a RN destroyer in the area and other assets to be a goal keeper and protectorate for Cyprus for any incoming projectiles and then calmly and diplomatically escalate before either sanctioning US use of UK airspace and bases for attacks or any other support. This is 100% Trumps war on Iran goaded into action by Israel, no-one elses. Jumping to being the US lap dog doesn't prevent UK being a target, but escalates being legitimising being an assailant and assistant.
6
perskes Apr 2, 2026 +15
The US has bases all over Europe and some (less now) are used to help Ukraine. As always, they duped us with a good thing to follow up with something so brain dead, we didn't see it coming. Blocking *all* airspace would block all reconnaissance for Ukraine. Europe isn't ready to fill in unfortunately. The most incompetent president got us again... Austria has been neutral since WW2 (written into the constitution), it's easy for them to block airspace for foreign military, but for NATO countries there will be different implications.
15
Prestigious-Clock-53 Apr 2, 2026 +25
Canadian here. We all put way too many eggs in the US basket. Silver lining is we all know that is no longer tenable. Over the long term we will all be more self sufficient and America will be less powerful because of it. They’ll still be powerful, but we will all be more autonomous in our decision making and then hopefully there is some common sense and decency that comes back to the White House.
25
perskes Apr 2, 2026 +6
I can't agree more
6
zanzara1968 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Italy isn't blocking airspace, Meloni only denied landing for armed warplanes heading to Iran and she did only twice.
3
odriegu Apr 2, 2026
>they duped us with a good thing to follow up with something so brain dead Why is warring against Russia positive but hindering the Islamic Republic's expansion of terror brain dead? (Especially considering Iran heavily sponsors Russia against Ukraine) Genuinely want to know your take
0
Disastrous-Cellist62 Apr 2, 2026 +7
Personally I have openly criticized Russia for invading Ukraine since the invasion started, now to be fair and consistent with my feelings. I believe the US and Israel are wrong for bombing Iran. Why is America policing the Middle East. America and Israel are the aggressors in this situation. If anything, it is up to the Iranian people to fight for their own right to self determination. If there was a will within the population for regime change then covertly arming and training them would probably have been a better route. IMHO (Listnook armchair political expert ) haha.
7
Cool_Peace Apr 2, 2026 +11
You didn't really answer their underlying question there.
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odriegu Apr 2, 2026 +4
I can understand why you might draw those conclusions, but I don't think you have full information, the Islamic republic is very much an aggressor in the middle east, they have no little role in the mess in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and so on and they have in their stated goals to spread this mess as much as possible in the whole world >it is up to the Iranian people to fight for their own right to self determination we have tried, for nearly 50 years, peacefully, violently, reforms, not voting in obviously fake elections, armed resistance from the borders etc etc etc. Protests are gunned down on sight, and in the 80's even from the air using helicopters. Less than 10% of people there support them, yet that amounts of millions of people with all the guns and all the economic power. "Fighting" them with bare hands is willfully jumping in a meat grinder, which could be seen just this January
4
marvk Apr 2, 2026 +2
Nah don't worry, [Germany won't budge](https://i.imgur.com/zcaarer.png).
2
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +576
Never in my life have I seen an ally deny the US it's use of airspace. Don't get me wrong, they are fully justified in doing so. It's just astounding to me at how quickly Donnie Kneepads has f****** destroyed our soft power. We will never get that back. Russia got their money's worth for sure. Icing on the cake is Russia is too stupid to realize this is going to benefit China and not them.
576
curorororo Apr 2, 2026 +237
China literally doing nothing right now and somehow coming on top. I bet they are so confused right now. edit: kinda concerning everyone is envisioning china as some kind of mastermind evil genius when they are literally just doing their own thing at the moment.
237
Covert_Cuttlefish Apr 2, 2026 +26
China is very busy right now, and have been for a while now. I was in Northern Kenya around ~12 years ago. The amount of Chinese built roads in that part of the world is insane. They were fine letting us sleep in their yard that was protected by armed guards. I haven't been back since, but I have no reason to think anything changed. Their soft power and trading mineral rights for infrastructure is going to pay off.
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Bootrear Apr 2, 2026 +10
Yes seen this firsthand too. The "Chinese loan" goes big over there. Everybody is sleeping while China takes over a large chunk of Africa.
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Covert_Cuttlefish Apr 2, 2026 +1
There's zero doubt that China will be (is?) the next superpower. We'll see how that goes for everyone. Plus if I put on a really thick tinfoil hat, every small town in western Canada has a Chinese restaurant. Spies who can cook? Never say never lol.
1
Bootrear Apr 2, 2026 +2
Nothing we can do. The entire Western / "free world" added up, if working together, is a little over half of China. But we don't even work together, not even close. The result is inevitable, and Trump is just rushing us there quicker.
2
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +232
They aren't confused at all. Sun Tzu literally wrote the book on what they are doing. "Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake".
232
Terry-Shark Apr 2, 2026 +69
> Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake Just so it is clear, Sun Tzu never said that; Napoleon did.
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ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +49
Yes, he did phrase it as that sound bite. But the concept was absolutely laid out in sun tzus writings. It's just a wee bit too wordy for a listnook comment. It's why sun tzu gets credit for the idea over napoleon.
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GoingAllTheJay Apr 2, 2026 +33
Plus Napoleon probably said it in French
33
leftlanecop Apr 2, 2026 +7
That’s gotta be even more wordy than the Chinese version
7
GoldenMew Apr 2, 2026 +28
Yeah. There is a Sun Tzu quote that expresses a similar sentiment though: "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
28
NF6X Apr 2, 2026 +11
"I didn't say that. That was Napoleon." -- Sun Tzu
11
[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +35
[deleted]
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Zztrevor125 Apr 2, 2026 +27
It’s because they are used to the American way of doing things. They expected them to go bomb a country or take Taiwan with force during this. Saying loud words and threats But china is literally building soft power and relations while making us in America look evil and stupid. Idk if we can come back from this on a global scale. China is really becoming the new trusted adult in the room worldwide now. Once they finish building their navy they will be a major major threat since they have so much more manpower than us in the west. Maybe I should start learning Chinese 🤣
27
jorbleshi_kadeshi Apr 2, 2026 +6
> while making us in America look evil and stupid They are contributing nothing in that regard. That's 100% homegrown Made In America shit.
6
Zztrevor125 Apr 2, 2026 +2
That’s what I mean. They are making us look evil and stupid simply by just not outwardly doing evil and stupid shit and sitting back 🤣 Not to say that china is a moral powerhouse by any means but they at least have the common sense to abide by moral means in international relations at least outward facing.
2
[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +9
[deleted]
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Either-Patience1182 Apr 2, 2026 +5
Most of politics is performative by its very nature, when they but heads they have to do it in a way that doesn’t make their home country feel they are a liability. It’s also why the us sealed its own fate in loosing power when they picked trump. Hes the wrong type of performance for politics he;s for tv
5
KingoftheMongoose Apr 2, 2026 +6
I bet they are salivating and just carefully biding their time to take center stage in the same way the U.S. did when the Soviet Union collapsed without a direct confrontation/conflict.
6
Rammstein97 Apr 2, 2026 +1
Suffering from success
1
forsti5000 Apr 2, 2026 +94
Austria is not an ally of the US they are neutral. They are also not part of NATO and declined some NATO planes acces to their airspace in the past.
94
fhorst79 Apr 2, 2026 +10
And the US tried anyway https://www.twz.com/35025/the-time-when-the-usaf-got-caught-trying-to-sneak-f-117s-through-austrian-airspace
10
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +27
And France, Italy, and Spain? Remind me the last time Austria blocked us from their airspace if you don't mind as well. But I'm sure everything is fine.
27
InvalidDescription Apr 2, 2026 +13
>Remind me the last time Austria blocked us from their airspace if you don't mind as well. "Technically" Operation Daedalus26, which ended on January 27, 2026. Operationally in 2003 as the US wanted to move troops to Italy in preparation for the Iraqi war.
13
bluehelmet Apr 2, 2026 +27
Don't know the last time, but Kosovo 1999.
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ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +3
That was all of NATO. Also only a partial restriction. I should have been more clear and appreciate you trying to help the other commenter. I'm interested to hear their opinion on the 3 NATO allies that have also done this as mentioned.
3
nerotNS Apr 2, 2026 +23
>Never in my life have I seen an ally deny the US it's use of airspace. Austria is not a NATO country and it is neutral towards the United States, which is why it denied using air space for military purposes to them. Also it's not a blanket ban, and comercial flights are allowed, they evaluate each case by its own. It's not the first instance of it either - they did so during the Iraq war, the Kosovo conflict, the Afganistan war etc. Every time the reason why is/was their neutrality - which is a constitutional thing for Austria since 1955. As for the US soft power - yeah, it will get recovered eventually. Russia managed to get back on its feet after Yeltsin, the US will do the same after Trump. Assuming an even bigger idiot doesn't take over that is (ellecting people who aren't 70+ as presidents may help with this one).
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citron_bjorn Apr 2, 2026 +6
>As for the US soft power - yeah, it will get recovered eventually. Russia managed to get back on its feet after Yeltsin, the US will do the same after Trump. Russia's soft power never recovered to soviet levels. They only maintained their intelligence capabilities. The anti-amercan sentiments that trump has caused in former allies like canada and Europe won't go away easily
6
Gleethos Apr 2, 2026 +12
Austrian here: We are neutral in terms of what we are doing with our own military. But we can and do have allies as well as our own political stance! For example, we do send aid to Ukraine (mostly humanitarian aid). Oh, and a lot of the military stuff from other EU countries is shipped straight through Austria. I have seen tanks on frey trains going east many times during commute. So these kinds of weapons going through our country is something that is not at all unconstitutional! Our neutrality is very different from Switzerland, for example. Us denying the US airspace access is less about us being neutral, than that the US is not a close ally...
12
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +8
Not to be rude, but I've replied to others and can't respond to everyone with the same answers. Your point about soft power though is new. And I would disagree. Soft power takes a long time to develop and requires trust, reliability, and consistent behavior. Without meaningful change to our constitution to install stricter guardrails, no country can believe our word is good for anything more than 4 years, which is not tenable. And I see no indication that we will see any actual governance to address those constitutional deficiencies. Additionally, perception is reality to a large extent. And we are perceived as having lost our goddamn minds. I also question your assessment of Russia "getting back on it's feet". What metrics are you using to determine this and what is the comparison to?
8
usrlibshare Apr 2, 2026 +41
>We will never get that back. Correct, you won't. Ever. Because even if trump was impeached and removed from power, even if the next president were a democrat, even if your electorate somehow managed to not f*** it up again by handing house and senate to the reps after 2 years because the utopia didn't manifest instantly after voting blue once... ...even then, you country has proven TWICE that they are willing to hand power to someone like trump. That's not a country the EU should treat as a reliable ally. The "american century" **is over.**
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ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +8
Yes, that's what I said. You excited for what comes next?
8
usrlibshare Apr 2, 2026 +26
Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Because for the last 3 decades, what positive impact has the US had on the world as a whole, and the EU in particular? Lemme tell you the impacts I saw: a lot of social media addiction, spyware, actual spying (remember Snowden?), pretty much every single serious financial crisis, several useless wars, including the ones that caused many of the refugee crises in EU, constant influence in EU politics to the benefit of US corporations, many of the same turbocapitalism taking hold in our societies, product enshittification, ... Shall I continue? This is just the start of a looong list. So yeah, I am excited for a future where EU politicians finally realize that we cannot rely on the US, and should instead realize our own strength in the world.
26
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +2
You seem to have convinced yourself that i disagree with your outlook on US actions. I can't help you with that prejudice. I hope it plays out like you think it will. Seriously. The moves China has made show a trend in a different direction. I also have no idea what my country is actually going to become, and what it may try to do. The Chinese have a saying that is not meant to be a good omen. "May you live in interesting times". Interesting times are rarely a good thing.
2
MiserableCover1958 Apr 2, 2026 +6
Russia has definitely benefited from this. Asian countries forced to buy from them with the strait closed.
6
ShimmiShimmiYah Apr 2, 2026 +7
They are having short term benefits, and most of it going into the oligarch's pockets. There will be no lasting benefit to Russia or it's citizens, and what money does go to the state will be immediately burned in the money pit that is the invasion of ukraine. The long term, strategic benefit will be to China. Russia will be nothing more than a vassal of China. Only Russia believes they themselves are still a major player on the world stage, while everyone else, China included, just sees them as an unstable, bigger version of north korea.
7
ImSoMysticall Apr 2, 2026 +6
For what its worth, there was already a decent chunk of people's who hated American foreign policy, actions, and using their airspace to do so I don't think Trump has changed **how** people see American/Americans, but rather he's changed the extent of the beliefs
6
Dapper_Childhood_708 Apr 2, 2026 +3
The art of the fold
3
SpaceCadet2000 Apr 2, 2026 +4
> Never in my life have I seen an ally deny the US it's use of airspace. Depends on how long you've been alive. France, Italy and Spain denied overflight by US airplanes during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_United_States_bombing_of_Libya > Political disagreements led France, Spain, and Italy to deny the use of their United States Air Forces in Europe bases, and deny overflight permits. Other than that, I don't remember that ever happening. Not even during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, that was opposed by many European allies.
4
Vikkly Apr 2, 2026 +3
Maybe they're not obligated? Switzerland and Austria aren't part of NATO, and CH isn't even in the EU
3
SnuffleWarrior Apr 2, 2026 +4
Ally? Trump has no allies left. He's economically attacked all of his former allies, insulted all of them repeatedly, threatened to invade a couple of them. As a citizen of what was an ally I can state the US isn't aware of how much it is hated now. The US won't have any allies for a very long time.
4
poopybuttholesex Apr 2, 2026 +4
Technically Austria is not NATO
4
Lazlo2323 Apr 2, 2026 +28
I can already see Trump announcing new 50% tariffs for Australia.
28
HankSteakfist Apr 3, 2026 +2
He did. 100% tariffs on our medicine. He and the US pharmaceutical industry can't stomach our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme which allows us to buy drugs at reasonable prices because our government uses logistical buying through our Medicare system to procure drugs in bulk numbers based on need. Basic common sense practice that benefits the public, but makes the Pharma CEO's rage
2
Tropical_Geek1 Apr 2, 2026 +89
This war gives Suez crisis vibes. That was the moment when Britain lost its empire membership card.
89
socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +24
Britain, France and Israel were able to win the on the ground fighting during the Suez crises but they ended up losing because the political weight of the US, USSR and Egypt were able to force the old empires+Israel to pull back.
24
Agitated_Ad7576 Apr 2, 2026 +5
I was reading that the US and USSR on the same side against the major European powers was one of the strangest moments ever seen in the United Nations.
5
binzoma Apr 3, 2026 +2
ish the thing with suez was the british empire had stopped being a super power in 1940 and france in ww1. in the 1950s the US and USSR clearly had the top spots in the global food chain. the suez crisis was britain and france trying to show that they could still project power and the US/USSR being like ah yeah nope sorry the US is still clearly the global super power, this is just a signal/symptom of its rapid decline.
2
FezVrasta Apr 2, 2026 +10
I'm so ready to see US people wondering why their planes need to go through _Australia_ to reach Iran 🤣 /s
10
Brinabavd Apr 2, 2026 +107
Austria is neutral, not a US ally, so this is insignificant. Spain doing this is taking a stand, Austria is just following long established policy.
107
Gleethos Apr 2, 2026 +46
Austrian here: We are neutral in terms of what we are doing with our military. But we can and do have allies as well as our own political stance. For example, we do send aid to Ukraine (mostly humanitarian aid).
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ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +13
You guys have no official military allies. You have even an opt out of EU article 42 (7).
13
Smilodon24 Apr 2, 2026 +28
well, not exactelly. Austria, despite not being in NATO, usually allowed the use of airspace and even the transfer of military equipment on the ground through its territory.
28
socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +7
> Austria is neutral, not a US ally, so this is insignificant Austria isn't an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean though. The combination of Spain, France, Switzerland and Austria doing this effectively creates a 1500 mile stretch of territory that the US can't fly over which impedes logistics and military operations. This is going to make it a lot harder for the US to achieve it's goals militarily in Iran.
7
ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +6
France has not really closed its airspace.
6
LThadeu Apr 2, 2026 +27
Are people realizing all Trump is doing is ruining the U.S.?
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Jealous_Difference44 Apr 2, 2026 +5
We knew last time he was elected. They did it again so who cares about Americans.
5
im_thatoneguy Apr 2, 2026 +8
**Trump:** We've defeated Iran, but we don't care about Hormuz. That's up to you guys to figure out. Byeeee **The World:** Hey Iran, we're not with those Assholes, can we be bros and still use Hormuz? We'll pay in Euros. **Trump:** Hey! NOT LIKE THAT!
8
wadevb1 Apr 2, 2026 +8
Waiting for Trump to post his tirade against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the decision. Staff will correct him later
8
FigureMost1687 Apr 2, 2026 +43
European Union needs to become military power not just economic power , they can finance this , they dont need US to protect them as long as they can get together and agree on their foreign politics ...if they dont do this they will have bigger problems in the future ...
43
SparksMKII Apr 2, 2026 +7
Will have the added benefit of not paying US military contractors either which is also why they always want to go warmongering in the middle east
7
socialistrob Apr 2, 2026 +5
It's not just a matter of financing though. There are some very important weapons that the US makes where there isn't a European equivalent. For instance Ukraine still very much wants patriot missiles because those are the best at stopping Russia's high end missiles. Similarly the F-35 is the only western made fifth gen fighter. Maybe with time and investment Europe can build their own equivalents of these systems that are just as good if not better but for at least the next few years they'll still have to buy American for them.
5
Mrevilman Apr 2, 2026 +11
Seems to me like more countries are positioning to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened for themselves.
11
Elses_pels Apr 2, 2026 +7
Isn’t that what trump said in his speech?
7
Maleficent-Stormbee Apr 2, 2026 +4
more like he wants to run away and hope some european country will open it for him and give him access
4
Barack_Odrama_007 Apr 2, 2026 +37
How UTTERLY EMBARRASSING for Americans. 90 million people refused to vote after EVERYONE WAS WARNED, allowing 77 million people to give Trump the presidency AGAIN VOTING F****** MATTERS!! This is moronic embarrassment.
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NoBSforGma Apr 2, 2026 +5
YAY keep 'em coming! Can't wait to see the next denial!
5
Upstairs_Eagle_4780 Apr 3, 2026 +3
Trump: Fine, I will bomb Australia now.
3
Inevitable-Row1759 Apr 2, 2026 +39
Glad that European countries are taking a stand
39
RainbowGames Apr 2, 2026 +16
Austria has been a neutral country for over 70 years, they have done the same during the 2003 Iraq war. This is not "taking a stand", this is a neutral country being neutral.
16
Gleethos Apr 2, 2026 +4
Austrian here: We are neutral in terms of what we are doing with our own military. But we can and do have allies as well as our own political stance. For example, we do send aid to Ukraine (mostly humanitarian aid). Oh, and a lot of the military stuff from other EU countries is shipped straight through Austria. I have seen tanks on frey trains going east many times during commute. So our neutrality is very different from Switzerland, for example.
4
Elses_pels Apr 2, 2026 +6
Another one
6
homme_chauve_souris Apr 2, 2026 +6
In response, Trump announced a 200% tariff on kangaroos.
6
ChatamKay Apr 2, 2026 +3
They need to hear no.
3
Alarming_Addition131 Apr 2, 2026 +3
austria is too busy dealing with its exploding trees
3
sifav6 Apr 3, 2026 +3
For a moment I thought Australia finally grew some balls, but it turned out I just read the title wrong.
3
Delicious_Friend_321 Apr 2, 2026 +11
Hope ireland refuse then using Shannon
11
FullTime4WD Apr 2, 2026 +12
I must say flying in to shannon on the way home from Iraq after 15 months and getting my two guinness why the plane refueled was one of the best moments of my life 🍻 And then i did it again a few years later fml...
12
TheVenetianMask Apr 2, 2026 +9
It's a good thing Spain went first and broke the taboo.
9
Archiver_test4 Apr 2, 2026 +24
See what happens when you let a whiny gentile pedophile take shots at your allies, mock them, threaten them, tear up agreements then claim consequences of the contract break to the be the sole reason for a new deal and not to forget, being interested in kids. Eww. What a looser
24
meckez Apr 2, 2026 +5
Sure, but Austria does generally not allow their air space to be used for military actions due to their neutrality. So this one was expected. Spain and Italy blocking US planes to use their bases in regard to the Iran war, on the other hand were more of a surprise tho.
5
Archiver_test4 Apr 2, 2026 +3
This is what I tell people. Giving bases to us by GCC countries makes them a target regardless of reasons for doing so. Austria, Switzerland has shown what neutrality actually means and not just siding with one side and paying lip service to another.
3
Reddit_2_2024 Apr 2, 2026 +5
That makes Spain, Switzerland and now Austria. Italy denied the landing of a U.S. aircraft in Sicily. France has restrictions for any aircraft not deemed logistic related. European airspace available for these Iran related flights is getting small.
5
ZuAusHierDa Apr 2, 2026 +4
As long as they are able to use Ramstein in Germany everything should be fine.
4
Hungry-Kale600 Apr 2, 2026 +13
You can't just shit on your allies and expect them to cooperate.
13
Forest_Orc Apr 2, 2026 +6
To be honest Europeans have 2 options Please trump and re-open the straight of Ormuz themselves Please Khamenei and close the airspace to the US planes *guess which one is less a problem for currently elected politicians and which one will be in 10 years after multiple elections ?* May-be it's time to massively invest in solar/nuclear/wind and ban petrol-powered cars for good
6
OllyDee Apr 2, 2026 +9
Judging by statements made by European world leaders recently I think a focus on renewable energy is clearly on the cards.
9
Disastrous-Cellist62 Apr 2, 2026 +6
I don’t disagree that it’s time to heavily invest in alternative power sources, this is more than just gas or diesel. This is pharmaceuticals, plastics, petrochemicals, fertilizers, aluminum ect… invest in Canada, we have an abundance of all of these things. We just need more capital to expand our infrastructure and build out capacity. We could easily supply our allies in Europe with all their needs with some help.
6
MinorKeyEnjoyer Apr 2, 2026 +5
reopening the strait is not an option for anyone except Iran
5
asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf Apr 2, 2026 +2
Austria is not NATO member but participates in Peace Program Partnership. Austria is furthermore officially nonaligned, also known as 'neutral'. Austria is EU member. Austria was also known as Habsburg Monarchy (until 1918) which included Hungary (independence 1918) and Slovakia (joined Czechia 1918).
2
Pegasos Apr 3, 2026 +2
The US instantly loses their "superpower" status if their allies just stop letting them use airspace and military bases. These arrogant Americans need to be taught a lesson in diplomacy.
2
Drak_is_Right Apr 3, 2026 +2
I am curious how this effects flights to Rammstein. Would this cause time consuming detours? Rammstein is the usual European stopping point for medical evac flights out of the Middle East. Would this also effect those?
2
Mikadomea Apr 3, 2026 +2
We Austrians are neutral anyway so Orangeman can eat a bag of D!cks out of principle.
2
TriXter69 Apr 2, 2026 +6
Good, the US shouldn't be treated as the one above all using any airspace they want
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10metr Apr 2, 2026 +3
I wonder who will announce it next
3
Reasonable-Cut-6137 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Good! US has no friends other than Israel, Saudi, Qatar and UAE.
3
FreeJimmy34 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Throw another shrimp on the Barby!
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BenHelldiver Apr 2, 2026 +3
Austria not Australia. I like the spirit though
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Bad_Grammer_Girl Apr 2, 2026 +5
I think it was a "Dumb and Dumber" movie joke...
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Throwawayy_1340 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Let's f****** gooooo, Austria you legends!
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LargeSinkholesInNYC Apr 2, 2026 +2
America is cooked.
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Taint_Skeetersburg Apr 3, 2026 +2
That's like Florida denying Michigan the use of its roads for truck transport to Wisconsin.
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