‘No to War’: Spain Rebukes Trump’s Trade Threats, Refuses to Aid Iran Conflict

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez doubled down on his refusal to become involved in the Iran conflict and rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off trade with Spain as a form of punishment.

“The position of the Government of Spain can be summed up in three words,” said Sánchez in a televised address Wednesday morning. “No to war.”

Sánchez argued Europe has been in a similar situation before, referring to the negative impact of the Iraq war. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he urged.

“Twenty-three years ago, another U.S. Administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East,” he said. “A war which, in theory, was said at the time to be waged to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, to bring democracy, and to guarantee global security but.. it unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity that our continent had suffered since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

In a message shared after his address, Sánchez reiterated his stance, saying “no to violations of international law” and “no to the illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs.”

Sánchez—a long-time critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, and the European response—received swift support from his colleagues. Budget Minister María Jesús Montero echoed his remarks, insisting that Spain “will not be vassals” to another country.

The strong response from the European nation comes after Trump posed economic threats during a press briefing at the White House Tuesday alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Reflecting on the U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran, which killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Trump heralded the success of the operation and vowed to keep moving forward. But he hit out at some European allies, including Spain, for denying the U.S. access to their military bases.

“Spain said we can’t use their bases. We could use their bases if we wanted to, we could just fly in and use it, nobody is going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t have to,” Trump argued. “Spain has absolutely nothing we need, other than great people, but they don’t have great leadership.”

He also faulted Spain for failing to commit to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP under NATO targets. 

Trump’s criticism extended to other nations, as he accused the United Kingdom of being “uncooperative.”

“We are very surprised. This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” he said, referencing U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

While Starmer initially refused to allow Trump to use British bases to launch defensive missiles, he reversed course on Sunday evening, announcing Britain will grant access to the U.S. military.

Europe rallies behind Spain

European leaders have shown support to Spain following Trump’s trade threats, framing the dispute as a test of E.U. unity.

According to local media, French President Emmanuel Macron reached out to Sánchez on Wednesday to express “solidarity.”

Officials in Brussels, meanwhile, reiterated that trade policy rests with the bloc—not individual member states.

“The E.U. will always ensure that the interests of its member states are fully protected,” said European Council President António Costa. “We reaffirm our firm commitment to the principles of international law and the rules-based order everywhere in the world.”

Olof Gill, spokesperson for Trade and Economic Security at the European Commission, told TIME: “The Commission will ensure that the interests of the European Union are fully protected. We stand in full solidarity with all member states and all its citizens and, through our common trade policy, stand ready to act if necessary to safeguard E.U. interests.”

He urged the U.S. to ”fully honor the commitments undertaken” in the E.U.-U.S. trade agreement that was struck last year.