Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has doubled down on Spain's refusal to support US strikes on Iran, declaring "no to war" after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade. Sánchez said Spain would not be "complicit" in a widening Middle East conflict simply out of fear of reprisals, comparing the escalation to "playing Russian roulette with the destiny of millions."
Yesterday, Trump criticised Madrid for denying US access to jointly operated military bases and for rejecting NATO's proposed 5% defence spending target. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he called Spain "unfriendly" and suggested he had instructed officials to halt trade dealings.
Sánchez invoked the 2003 Iraq invasion as a warning against repeating past mistakes, arguing that responding to "one illegality with another" risks long-term instability. The European Commission backed Spain, stressing that EU trade policy is negotiated collectively and that member states stand in solidarity...
As he states on social media:
The world, Europe, and Spain have faced this critical moment before. In 2003, a few irresponsible leaders dragged us into an illegal war in the Middle East that brought nothing but insecurity and pain.
Our response then must be our response now:
NO to violations of international law.
NO to the illusion that we can solve the world's problems with bombs.
NO to repeating the mistakes of the past.
NO TO WAR.
<social>https://x.com/sanchezcastejon/status/2029147260324389279?s=20</social>