Trump to cut off ‘all trade’ with Spain

The US president has said that doesn’t “want anything to do with” Spain after US forces were banned from joint military bases

The US will suspend all trade with Spain over Madrid’s decision to deny the US permission to use its joint military bases to attack Iran, President Donald Trump has announced. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned Trump’s “unjustified and dangerous” intervention against Iran.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that “we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain,” and that he doesn’t “want to have anything to do with” the Mediterranean nation. Trump did say when his supposed trade embargo would come into effect.

On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that his government would not allow the US to use Naval Station Rota or Moron Air Base – both of which are shared by Spanish and American forces – in its ongoing war with Iran. Albares said that the bases were not used in carrying out Saturday’s opening strikes on Iran, “nor will they be used” for the duration of the conflict.

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“Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases, and that’s alright,” Trump told reporters, before claiming that he could simply ignore the ban if he liked. “We could use their bases if we want,” he said. “We could just fly in and use it, nobody’s going to tell us not to use it.”

Both bases were extensively used by American cargo and fighter aircraft during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Moron Air Base served as the main base for refueling tanker planes during NATO’s 2011 bombing of Libya. More than a dozen tankers left Rota and Moron on Monday, after Spain announced the ban.

The conflict with Iran has exposed divisions among the US’ European allies. Sanchez is the only EU leader to openly condemn the US’s strikes on Iran – describing ‘Operation Epic Fury’ as an “unjustified and dangerous military intervention that is outside international law.” 

However, the UK initially denied use of its military bases to the US, until Prime Minister Keir Starmer made an about-turn on Sunday and signed off on the US using the facilities for “limited defensive” strikes against Iran’s missile infrastructure. France and Germany have also said that they are “open to enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action” against Iran.

The EU’s most pro-US members have gone further, with Lithuanian presidential adviser Asta Skaisgiryte declaring that his country would join the operation if asked by Trump.