Trump To ‘Cut Off All Trade’ With Spain After It Rejects Use of Its Military Bases for Iran Attacks

President Trump is threatening to cut off all trade with Spain, calling the government “unfriendly,” after the country’s left-wing prime minister refused to allow American forces to use their military bases to launch attacks on Iran.Unlike most NATO allies, Spain has bluntly criticized the joint American-Israeli attacks. “We reject the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X in the hours after the attack. “One can oppose a hateful regime and, at the same time, oppose an unjustified and dangerous military intervention,” Mr. Sánchez said in another post.Spain has also said it will not give American forces permission to use any bases in its country in connection with the attacks. Mr. Trump — speaking to reporters at the White House ahead of a private meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — called Spain “very, very uncooperative.”“That’s OK, we don’t want to use any of their bases,” Mr. Trump said. “We could use their base if we want. We could fly in and use it. No one is going to tell us not to use it,” Mr. Trump added.Mr. Trump said that he told the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, to cut off all dealings with Spain. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Mr. Trump said.“Spain has nothing that we need other than great people. They have great people but they don’t have great leadership,” Mr. Trump said. He also complained that Spain has refused to cover its financial obligations to NATO.Mr. Merz also noted that Spain needs to catch up with its spending commitment to NATO. “Spain is the only one that’s not willing to accept that, and we’re trying to convince them that this is part of our common security, that we all have to comply with these numbers,” Mr. Merz said.Mr. Trump didn’t go into any further detail on his plan to cut off trade with Spain — a member of the European Union. The administration has a trade deal covering all 27 member states. It was unclear if one member could be singled out for punishment under the deal.The Socialist Spanish government responded to Mr. Trump’s threat by calling itself a “reliable trading partner” and a “major exporting force” in the European Union. “If the US administration wishes to review this relationship, it must do so respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law, and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the United States,” the government’s statement said.Mr. Bessent says the Supreme Court decision last month that struck down Mr. Trump’s tariffs gave the president the legal ability to declare an embargo.Any disruption in trade between the two countries could be more detrimental to the American economy. The United States has a sizable trade surplus with Spain according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. America exported $7 billion more in goods to Spain than it imported in 2024, according to the group’s most recent figures available. The top export product from America to Spain was crude petroleum.Spain’s olive oil industry could be hurt by a trade embargo. Spain now surpasses Italy as the top olive oil importer to America. Spain’s wine industry could also be hurt. America was the top export market for Spanish Champagne and sparkling wine in 2024.

Trump To ‘Cut Off All Trade’ With Spain After It Rejects Use of Its Military Bases for Iran Attacks

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