Trump Threatens to Cut Off All Trade With Spain Over Iran War

Donald Trump is attacking Spain over the country’s refusal to let the U.S. use its air bases to bomb Iran.

“Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told [Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain,” Trump said Tuesday while in a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, before going off on a tangent about how Spain refuses to pay 5 percent of its GDP to NATO, unlike other countries in the alliance. “And now Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases and that’s alright, we could use their base if we want, we could just fly in and use it. Nobody’s gonna tell us not to use it.”

“Spain has absolutely nothing that we need, other than great people. They have great people, but they don’t have great leadership,” Trump added.

Trump: "Spain has been terrible. I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain. They said we can't use their bases. We could use their bases if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody is gonna tell us not to use it." pic.twitter.com/aOBmrzGcxo

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2026

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Sunday that the attacks on Iran were a violation of international law and barred the U.S. from using them.

“The joint-use bases, but under Spanish sovereignty, will not be used for anything not included within the treaty nor outside the U.N. Charter,” Albares said in a broadcast appearance. Several U.S. aircraft subsequently left the country from bases in Rota and Morón, Spain.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected “the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order” in a post translated from Spanish on X.

“We likewise reject the actions of the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard. We cannot afford another prolonged and devastating war in the Middle East,” Sánchez’s post added.

But Trump threatening to take over bases in another country could alienate NATO ally Spain even further, and alarm others in the alliance. Threatening to cut off trade with Spain isn’t going to win Trump any new friends, either. The longer this war goes on, the more likely Trump will need support, especially with air defense supplies dwindling. He can’t afford to be sabre-rattling against European allies.