The United States, US, President Donald Trump has threatened sweeping economic retaliation against Spain, announcing plans to cut off all trade relations after the Spanish government declined to permit American forces to use its military bases for operations connected to strikes on Iran.
Speaking during talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump sharply criticised Spain’s stance.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump said, revealing that he had instructed US Treasury Secretary 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,” he added.
The remarks followed the relocation of 15 US aircraft, including aerial refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron bases in southern Spain.
The move came after Spain’s Socialist-led government withheld authorisation for the facilities to be used in potential offensive missions targeting Iran.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, defended the decision, stating that such operations were not permitted under existing bilateral defence arrangements with the US and would not align with the principles outlined in the United Nation, Charter.
Relations between the US and the Spanish government have faced mounting pressure in recent months.
Areas of disagreement include migration policy and Spain’s resistance to raising defence expenditure to five percent of gross domestic product, a benchmark supported by several other European governments.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also taken positions at odds with US policy, including blocking vessels carrying weapons to Israel from docking at Spanish ports.
Earlier this year, his administration unveiled proposals aimed at pursuing legal action against certain social media platform owners — including prominent American figures — over the spread of harmful online content.
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