Iceland decided on Tuesday, for the first time ever, to allow US nuclear submarines to refuel off its coast, thus facilitating the strengthening of surveillance in the North Atlantic, a contact zone with Russian submarines.
Although a member of NATO, the small Nordic country had previously refused such visits, citing its opposition to nuclear energy and weapons.
"This decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of the policy of the Icelandic government to support Allied surveillance and response capability in the North Atlantic," the government said in a statement.
However, the refuelling will not take place in ports, but "several kilometres offshore." Another condition is that the submarines concerned must not carry nuclear weapons, according to Reykjavik.
The first submarine will make a visit in the near future, the Icelandic government said.
The Atlantic area around Iceland is known to be a strategic zone for submarines, between Russian vessels coming from the Barents Sea and Western ships coming up from the North Sea or the United States.
The country of 370,000 has been a founding member of NATO since 1949, but stands out because it has no army. It operates only a coastguard unit.
