EU member states appeared divided in their reactions to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Iranian regime, between Germany who expressed support and Spain which sharply criticized them.
On Sunday, Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who leads a government with extreme-left coalition partners, called the attacks on Iran an “unjustified, dangerous military intervention in violation of international law.’’
He condemned the offensive for “causing hundreds of innocent victims, and plunging an entire region into terror that will bring much more global instability.”
Madrid also said Spain would bar the US from using military bases in southern Spain as part of the operation, arguing that doing so would violate the United Nations charter. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Albares told public broadcaster RTVE that US military bases within Spanish territory ”have not been used and will not be used to launch strikes on Iran, as this is not in line with the agreement between the two countries and “outside the principle of the United Nations”.
Spain’s position infuriated U.S. President Donald Trump who threatened to impose a trade embargo on Spain, a country member of NATO.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in the White House alongside visiting German Chancellor Friederich Merz, Trump declared: “Spain has been terrible.’’ He said he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.
“We are going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump said.
The president also mentioned Spain’s refusal to respond to U.S. calls for all NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on defence.
Trump also criticised the U.K. for being “very uncooperative” with his demand to use its military bases to attack Iran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Spain’s position, saying that “the Spanish government, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world, as it stood with Venezuela, is now standing with Iran”.
He noted that Spain ’’is a minority one in Europe.’’ ‘’I spoke during the last two days with most of the EU foreign affairs ministers, and a significant number of them shared the same view. They might want it to be successful, but they’re not part of this operation”, the minister told Euronews.
Spain is one of the most anti-Israel government in the EU.