Spain's position on the war in the Middle East

The head of the Spanish government presented his position on March 4 in a televised address. “No to violating international law. No to the assumption that the world can solve its problems solely through armed conflict. And finally, no to repeating the mistakes of the past. The position of the Spanish government can be summed up in one phrase: no to war.”

Spain has come under fire from Donald Trump. On Tuesday, the US president threatened to sever trade relations with the country. The trigger was Spain’s refusal to allow the use of its southern bases for the US operation in Iran. Madrid was also accused of failing to meet its commitment to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.

Spanish authorities had already declared on Saturday that they reject the “unilateral military action” by the United States and Israel against Iran. Spain’s statement in this case does not differ from its response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine or Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

A significant deterioration in US–Spanish relations is likely. The Trump administration is expected to either sever trade ties or impose high tariffs. There is also a growing concern about Spain’s future in NATO. In the past, there have been threats from the US side suggesting that Spain should be expelled from the Alliance. In the coming days, it will become clear how far Donald Trump intends to go in his actions toward Spain.