Spain baulks at Trump’s threat to cut off all trade over NATO, Iran stance 

Spain has said the US should be mindful of international law and bilateral trade agreements with the European Union, after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with the country for refusing to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

“We have the necessary resources to contain the possible impact of the trade embargo by the US,” the Spanish government said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The US must comply with international law and bilateral EU-US trade agreements,” it added.

After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the attacks as a breach of international law. He called for dialogue to end the war on Iran, saying that “one can oppose a hateful regime and, at the same time, oppose an unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.

On Monday, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid would not allow the country’s military bases, which are jointly operated by the US and Spain but are under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks on Iran.

“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States, or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Albares said, speaking to Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.

Subsequently, the US relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain.

On Tuesday, before a meeting with German Chancellor Frederich Merz, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in Washington, DC, that “Spain has been terrible” for not allowing the US to use its bases.

He said that he had told his secretary of the Treasury, 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,” the US president said.

This is not the first time Spain has angered Trump.

In 2024, Sanchez, one of a dwindling number of left-leaning voices in Europe, refused to let vessels transporting weapons to Israel dock in Spain.

Spain has also refused to heed US calls for all NATO members to spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035.

Spain is the world’s top exporter of olive oil, and also sells auto parts, steel and chemicals to the US. But it is less vulnerable to Trump’s threats of economic punishment than other European nations.

The US had a trade surplus with Spain for the fourth year in a row in 2025, at $4.8bn, according to data from the US Census Bureau, with US exports of $26.1bn and imports of $21.3bn.