Spain Denies Any Involvement With America’s Strikes on Iran, Saying Commitment to ‘No War’ Is Absolute

The Spanish government is not in any way involved with America’s strikes on Iran, the country’s foreign minister said Tuesday, refuting a statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. President Trump has threatened to end all trade with Spain if the United States is not permitted to use Spanish military bases as part of the operation against Iran. Mr. Trump threatened the NATO ally on Tuesday after Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez said his country was firmly committed to opposing the war. “We reject the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel,” Mr. Sánchez said in a post on X just hours after the booing of Iran began on Saturday. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump told reporters that he had directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all trade” with Spain. At a briefing on Wednesday, however, Ms. Leavitt claimed that the Spanish government had changed its tune. “I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear and it’s my understand, over the past several hours, they have agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military,” Ms. Leavitt told reporters. “The U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.”The Spanish foreign minister flatly denied that claim just minutes later. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, in an interview with the SER television network, “categorically” denied that Spain is supporting the strikes on Iran, or that it will aid in the operations going forward. “The position of the Spanish Government on the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one comma,” Mr. Albares said, according to the Spanish newspaper El País. “Our position of ‘no to war’ remains clear and unequivocal,” Mr. Albares said, asserting that he has “no idea” what Ms. Leavitt was referencing. “There is an agreement, a bilateral accord, and outside the framework of that bilateral agreement there will be no use of Spanish sovereign bases. Any operation must be within the framework of the United Nations.” “Any coercion towards Spain is coercion towards all Europeans, and we have their solidarity,” he added. When asked about the foreign minister’s comments by the New York Sun, the White House simply directed the Sun to Ms. Leavitt’s comments and did not offer any clarification of her claims. Mr. Trump’s threat of a complete embargo on trade with Spain represents one of his most aggressive postures yet against a European ally. He has threatened countless nations with tariffs, including many in the Eurozone, though the Supreme Court’s ruling last month striking down the vast majority of Mr. Trump’s tariffs has left him with few options to twist other nation’s arms. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, America’s trade relationship with Spain is relatively small. In December, the U.S. and Spain exchanged just under $3.6 bill worth of goods. For context, the U.S. and Switzerland exchanged $8.8 billion worth of products in the final month of 2025. If the embargo does become a reality, then there could be serious consequences for the Spanish economy. The largest American exports to Spain are crude petroleum and petroleum gas, according to the OEC.

Spain Denies Any Involvement With America’s Strikes on Iran, Saying Commitment to ‘No War’ Is Absolute

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