As tensions between the United States and Iran are reaching a critical moment, with many analysts expecting a military strike against Iran soon, Greece could find itself front and center amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
While Greece will not participate directly with forces in the pending conflict with Iran, the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA), signed in 1990 with the United States, and more crucially, its renewal in Athens in 2019, upgrades the US military footprint in the country, illustrating the strategic significance America places on Greece.
This includes the upgrading of infrastructure and installations at the Alexandroupolis port, the airbase in Larissa, the Stefanovikio Air Base and the Souda Bay naval base.
A key component in the renewed agreement is the use of the term “facilitator” instead of “base” in the original official document.
The updated MDCA, signed in 2021, between the two countries’ foreign affairs ministers, Nikos Dendias (now Defense Minister) and Antony Blinken, has a five-year duration and will be renewed automatically until one of the parties terminates it.
In this context, Crete is being called upon to play its own role at this critical juncture, placing Greece squarely within the frame of rising tensions — and positioning it as a geostrategic bastion of the West.
Souda is effectively being transformed into a military hub, as substantial forces are gathering on the island, which now stands on the front line of strategic planning.
Reports further underscore Greece’s involvement in ongoing developments, indicating that U.S.–NATO officials have in recent days visited Armed Forces hospitals across the country to assess their readiness, the services they can provide and their available bed capacity.
While the visit of U.S.–NATO officials has not been officially confirmed, informed sources told in that such visits to military hospitals are customary “ahead of a major multinational exercise,” as host countries are required to provide “host nation support.”
At this stage, however, no such exercise is underway. Therefore, if these visits did take place, they are seen as directly linked to developments in U.S.–Iran relations and the role Greece is expected to play as an allied country.