Topics: News, US News, World News, Donald Trump, Spain, Iran, Politics
Spain's Prime Minister has responded to Donald Trump's threat to cut off trade over its criticism of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran.
The US and Israel launched a wave of attacks on the middle eastern country on February 28 after negotiations about its nuclear program failed to reach an agreement.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in the strikes, alongside other members of Iran's senior leadership.
There have also been extensive civilian casualties in Iran, with one strike hitting a school and killing 165 children and teachers.
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Since the war started, Trump has hit out at Spain after it criticized US strikes in Iran.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said: "Spain has been terrible. In fact I told Scott [likely Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain."
His row with the European nation seems to have stemmed from Spain's reluctance to increase its defence spending for NATO to five percent of its GDP, something Trump has asked of all NATO members. This is more than any NATO member currently pays.
He said: "First of all, it started when every European nation at my request paid 5 percent which they should be doing, and everybody was enthusiastic about it, Germany, everybody, and Spain didn't do it. And now Spain actually said that we can't use their bases.
"That's alright, we can use their base if we want we can just fly in and use it, nobody's gonna tell us not to use it... but they were unfriendly so I told him Spain has absolutely nothing that we need, other than great people, they have great people. But they don't have great leadership."
Now, Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez has hit back, and doubled down on his condemnation of US action.
Speaking from the prime minister's residence in La Moncloa, Sanchez said: “We will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and that is also contrary to our values and interests simply out of fear of reprisals from someone.”
He added: "It's unacceptable that some presidents use the fog of war to cover up their failures.
"The question is not if we are on the side of the ayatollahs - nobody is. The question is whether we are in favour of peace and international legality."
Sanchez went on to say: "The government's position can be summed up in four words: No to war."
It's four words because in Spanish 'no to war' is 'no a la guerra'.
Sánchez has not been alone in his condemnation of the US strikes, with Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares saying that Spain will not permit the US to use military bases in the country to carry out the strikes.
"I want to be very clear and very plain. The bases are not being used - nor will they be used - for anything that is not in the agreement [with the US], nor for anything that isn’t covered by the UN charter," the foreign minister said.
Defense minister Margarita Robles explained that Spain has an agreement with the US over the bases and that if the US is to use them, then 'operations have to comply with international legal frameworks and that there has to be international support for them'.
Six US soldiers have died in the Iran conflict so far after an Iranian ‘unmanned aircraft system’ hit a US command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait last Sunday (March 1).
A source told CNN the attack came with no warning or sirens around 9am local time.
Parts of the building continued to burn hours after the strike.
Yesterday, the Pentagon named four of the soldiers who were killed.
These are Capt Cody Khork, 35, Sgt Noah Tietjens, 42, Sgt Nicole Amor, 39, and Sgt Declan Coady, 20.
Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General U.S. Army Reserve Command, said: “On behalf of the Army Reserve, we express our heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to honoring the legacy of our fallen and supporting their teammates and families during this difficult time.”
