Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has refused to be cowed by Donald Trump’s trade threats amid a dispute over the use of Spanish airbases.
On Tuesday, Trump hit out at Spain after its government refused to let American forces use their bases for the US’s military action in Iran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said Spain had been “terrible” and suggested “we’re going to cut off all trade”.
In response, Spanish PM Sánchez reiterated his position on the conflict, and refused to be bullied by Trump.
Speaking in a televised address on Wednesday morning, Sánchez said: “The Spanish government’s position can be summed up in four words: no to war.”
He said Spain’s position was “clear and consistent” and the same as its response to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
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Sánchez compared the action in Iran to the Iraq war, and said he opposes “repeating the mistakes of the past.”
He continued: “We must demand a firm resolution from the United States, Iran, and Israel to stop [this conflict] before it is too late.”
He added that “one illegality cannot be met with another, because that is how the great disasters of humanity begin.”
In an apparent reference to threats from Trump, Sánchez said it is “unacceptable that some presidents use the fog of war to cover up their failures.”
“The question is not whether or not we support the ayatollahs. No one does. Certainly not the Spanish people, and certainly not the Spanish government. The question, instead, is whether or not we stand on the side of international law and, therefore, on the side of peace,” he continued.
“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.”