Spain’s Pedro Sánchez hits back at Trump threat to sever trade saying ‘no to war’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has delivered a strong rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s threat to end trade with Spain by restating his opposition to war and what he called the “breakdown of international law”.
In a 10-minute televised address, Sánchez reflected on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as the Iraq War more than 20 years ago and said the Spanish government’s position could be summed up as “no to war”.
Trump had threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain in response to Madrid’s refusal to allow the US to use the jointly run bases at Morón and Rota for strikes on Iran. “Spain has been terrible,” Trump said during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he added.
Merz later said he had told Trump clearly that he could not conclude a separate trade agreement with Germany or all of Europe while excluding Spain. Trump has also accused Spain of being a “terrible partner” in Nato for failing to increase its defence budget in line with a target of 5% of GDP. Earlier this year, Sánchez drew Trump’s anger by speaking out against the US military incursion into Venezuela.
Speaking from his official residence at La Moncloa in Madrid, Sánchez said the government was studying economic measures to counter the impact of the conflict on Spaniards, although he avoided directly referring to Trump’s trade threat. “The question is not if we are on the side of the ayatollahs — nobody is. The question is whether we are in favour of peace and international legality,” he said.
The Socialist leader said Spain’s stance was consistent with its positions on Ukraine and Gaza. Sánchez has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military response to the Hamas attacks in 2023, and Spain has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and recognised a Palestinian state before many other European Union members.
Looking back to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which he said failed to achieve its goals and worsened conditions for ordinary people, Sánchez warned that attacks on Iran could have a similar economic impact. He reminded Spaniards of the “Azores trio” of then-US President George W. Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish conservative leader José María Aznar, who met on a Spanish base days before the Iraq invasion, saying they had handed Europeans the “gift” of “a more insecure world and worse life”.
Sánchez’s stance contrasts with that of Merz, who told German television on Tuesday that regime change in Iran would leave the world “a little better off”, although he cautioned it was “not without risk”. Unlike some Nato allies such as the UK, France and Greece, Spain has not committed to military involvement in response to the war.
Domestically, Sánchez continues to face political pressure, including allegations of corruption involving allies and members of his inner circle. However, a recent poll by the CIS research institute found that 77% of Spaniards had a “bad” or “very bad” opinion of Trump, suggesting that the prime minister’s firm response could resonate with voters even as uncertainty remains over whether Trump’s threats will lead to economic reprisals.
Credit: BBC
