Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected a White House claim that Madrid had agreed to cooperate with U.S. military operations against Iran, underscoring a growing diplomatic rift over the war in the Middle East.
After Albares had announced on March 1 that Spain would not allow U.S. forces to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain for military strikes outside U.N. authorization, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States would “cut off all trade with Spain” over its opposition to the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Spain had shifted its position.
“I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear,” Leavitt said. “And it’s my understanding, over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.”
Albares rejected the assertion and told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that “the position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reiterated Spain’s opposition to the war, calling “for the war to cease and for negotiations to begin as soon as possible within the framework of international legality.”
“The world, Europe and Spain have faced this critical moment before. In 2003, a few irresponsible leaders dragged us into an illegal war in the Middle East that brought nothing but insecurity and pain,” he stated.
Masoud Pezeshkian, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, praised the Spanish government’s stance.
“Spain’s responsible conduct in opposing the Zionist-American coalition’s flagrant human rights violations and military aggression against countries, including Iran, shows that ethics and awakened consciences still exist in the West,” he wrote.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) responded to Pezeshkian’s comments, writing that “getting a shout-out from the Iranian regime should be a wakeup call. If not, that’s so sad. You’ve lost your way.”
