Spain Rejects US Iran War; Trump Threatens Trade Cut
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- Spain refused to let US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran, prompting Trump to threaten cutting all trade ties.
- President Donald Trump warned he would "cut off all trade with Spain" and said Spain has "absolutely nothing that we need" because it refused to raise NATO spending.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned Israel’s Gaza war as "genocidal" and called the US‑Israel attack on Iran "unjustifiable" and "dangerous," delivering a televised address stating "no to the war."
- Eurobazuka poll in February found 53% of Spaniards opposed Trump’s policies, the third highest after France and Belgium; a GESOP poll in January showed nearly 60% disagreed with Trump’s operation to arrest former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- Victor Burguete said Trump’s threat to impose tariffs is unlikely to succeed without a declared national emergency, and that the trade threat is more bluster than a real possibility.
- EU expressed solidarity with member states and said it expects the US to abide by a trade deal with the EU, but did not name Spain specifically.
- US trade data for 2025 show a $4.8bn surplus with Spain, with US exports $26.1bn and imports $21.3bn.
Why it matters: Spain’s export market—olive oil, auto parts, steel, chemicals—faces a US threat to cut all trade, while the EU’s pledge of solidarity suggests limited room for Trump to impose tariffs without breaching the EU‑US trade deal.
