US threatens "devastating" retaliation if EU restricts Starlink

Washington threatens "devastating" retaliation if Brussels touches Starlink

The United States ambassador to the European Union has warned that there will be a "devastating" response against European companies if Brussels restricts Starlink's presence in the EU market. The threat, reported by the Financial Times, comes at a moment of peak trade tension and has been received in Spain as proof that the Atlantic ally increasingly acts as a hostile competitor. The warning is not an isolated diplomatic note: it is the latest chapter in an economic war that, according to some participants, already has the dollar and the euro in its sights.

What exactly the US threat says

The message is simple and brutal: if the EU limits the use of Starlink, European companies operating in the United States will face retaliation. The ambassador did not detail the mechanism, but in the current context of tariffs and cross sanctions, the most widespread interpretation is that it would involve new levies or restrictions on access to the North American market. The warning comes after Brussels showed its intention to push forward a European satellite communications network, IRIS, as an alternative to Elon Musk's constellation.

The paradox is that Starlink itself has seen the US government restrict the service of its military infrastructure, Starshield, in Ukraine, which left European allies wary. According to reports, the decision was not Musk's but the administration's, and it has reinforced the thesis that depending on a foreign private company for critical communications is a strategic risk.

The dollar against the euro: the war nobody names

Underneath, a monetary battle is brewing. Some argue that the dollar is at war against the euro and that the pressure on Europe is not only commercial but financial. The threat of retaliation against European companies is interpreted as a move to maintain the dollar's hegemony and curb any attempt at strategic autonomy by the continent. The coincidence with the Trump administration's tariff campaign reinforces that reading.

It is not a fringe theory: in the international economic debate it is openly discussed whether the United States is using its position as issuer of the reserve currency to impose conditions on its allies. The warning over Starlink would be one more chapter of that strategy, which combines commercial, technological and monetary pressure.

Starlink, IRIS and Europe's technological dependence

Musk's constellation has become critical infrastructure. In Ukraine, its network has been key to military communications, and in Europe it is starting to be used for emergency services and rural connectivity. The European proposal to develop IRIS seeks precisely to reduce that dependence, but the project is in its infancy and will require years and billions.

Meanwhile, the American threat poses a dilemma: if the EU restricts Starlink, it risks retaliation; if it does not, it consolidates its dependence on a foreign company controlled by a government that has already shown it can use that infrastructure as a weapon. The decision is not technical, it is geopolitical.

Reactions in Spain: from ally to adversary

In Spain, the news has landed like a bucket of cold water. Economic and political sectors have expressed their displeasure at what they consider an unacceptable interference. The argument is made that the United States is not a reliable partner and that the EU must accelerate its technological and energy autonomy. Some have interpreted the warning as proof that Europe's enemy is not Russia, but its supposed ally.

The irony is that the threat arrives while the EU is debating precisely how to regulate American tech giants. The European Commission has fined several companies for monopolistic practices, and now Washington responds with direct pressure. The message is clear: if Brussels regulates, there will be consequences.

The Ukraine precedent and the risk of switching off the network

The Starshield episode in Ukraine is the closest precedent. According to reports, the US government restricted the service of its military infrastructure at a critical moment, causing strong discontent in Kyiv and Berlin. The lesson is that whoever controls the network can switch it off whenever it suits them. That is what Europe wants to avoid with IRIS, but the road is long.

The ambassador's warning is not a veiled threat: it is a declaration of intent. If the EU restricts Starlink, there will be retaliation. The ball is in Brussels' court, which will have to decide whether to yield to pressure or bet on strategic autonomy even if the price is high.

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With all this, the most reasonable prediction is that the EU will delay any decision on Starlink until after the European elections, but nobody rules out that American pressure will accelerate the creation of IRIS. What is clear is that the era of technological dependence without political cost is over.