After Trump Said He Will Cut All Trade With Spain, Spain’s Prime Minister Doubled Down And Said "No To War"
"It's naïve to believe that democracy or respect among nations can spring from ruins."
US president Donald Trump has threatened to cut all trade with Spain after the Spanish government refused to let the US military use its bases to carry out strikes against Iran.
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran as "unjustifiable" and "dangerous," announcing on Monday, March 2, that his government will not allow US forces to use joint military bases on Spanish soil for operations against Iran.
Sánchez said the strikes violated international law as they lack authorization from the US Congress or the UN Security Council.
Spain's foreign minister confirmed the bases would not be used for any operation "inconsistent with the United Nations."
Flight tracking data showed the US subsequently relocated at least 15 aircraft from the Spanish bases to Germany.
On Tuesday, March 3, while meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, Trump told reporters, "Spain has been terrible."
"We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain,” he added.
Trump’s administration said the Supreme Court had confirmed he had the authority to impose an embargo, and that relevant departments would begin investigations into doing so.
Spain's government said it had "the necessary resources to contain the possible impact of a trade embargo," and that the US must respect international trade agreements.
Sánchez doubled down on Wednesday, March 4, calling the escalating conflict in the Middle East a "disaster," saying, "It's naïve to believe that democracy or respect among nations can spring from ruins."
Any trade embargo would also be complicated by the fact that Spain is a member of the European Union, and EU countries negotiate trade agreements collectively.
Sofia Hou
Cherry Mohamed
Flavie Chen
