Spain rejects Trump’s threat to cut off all trade over Iran stance

2026-03-04 - 08:33

MADRID — Spain has said the US should be mindful of international law and bilateral trade agreements with the European Union, after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with the country for refusing to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran. “We have the necessary resources to contain the possible impact of the trade embargo by the US,” the Spanish government said in a statement on Tuesday. “The US must comply with international law and bilateral EU-US trade agreements,” it added. Trump threatened to halt all trade with Spain, after the country barred the US from using its military bases as part of its operation in Iran. In comments at the White House, Trump said Spain had been "terrible" and suggested "we're going to cut off all trade". "We don't want anything to do with Spain," he told reporters on Tuesday. It is unclear whether the Trump administration will follow through on the threat, or how officials would move to block trade with a European Union member state. Trump's comments add to existing tensions between the two countries, including over the Spanish government's resistance to Trump's demand for NATO allies to raise their defense spending. After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the attacks as a breach of international law. He called for dialogue to end the war on Iran, saying that “one can oppose a hateful regime and, at the same time, oppose an unjustified and dangerous military intervention”. On Monday, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid would not allow the country’s military bases, which are jointly operated by the US and Spain but are under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks on Iran. “Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States, or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Albares said, speaking to Spanish broadcaster Telecinco. Subsequently, the US relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain. — Agencies