Trump Angry at Spain Over Ban on US Use of Its Bases
President of the United States, Donald Trump, has threatened to cut trade with Spain after Madrid barred US aircraft from using its military bases to attack Iran. Spain also objects to increased defence spending as part of NATO.
‘Spain is very bad,’ Trump told reporters as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
‘We will cut all trade with Spain. We do not want to have anything to do with Spain,’ he said, reported by Al Arabiya and AFP, on Wednesday 4 March 2026.
PM Pedro Sánchez: No to War!
In response to Trump’s fury, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asserted that Spain will not be involved in anything that harms the world and conflicts with its values and interests. ‘The government’s position can be summed up in four words: no to the war,’ he said in a televised address, as reported by AFP. ‘We will not be involved in anything that harms the world and contradicts our values and interests, just because of fear of retaliation,’ the Spanish leader insisted. ‘We oppose this catastrophe,’ Sánchez added, stating his stance is supported by ‘many governments and millions of people across Europe, North America and the Middle East who do not want more war or uncertainty in the future’.
Spain Bans US Use of Military Bases
Earlier, the Spanish government condemned the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran. Spain also banned the US from using joint bases on its territory to attack Iran.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles, as cited by Politico on Tuesday 3 March 2026, said the US pulled its aircraft from bases in Spain after Madrid banned using the bases to attack Iran. Robles stated at a press conference at Armilla Air Base on Monday 2 March that missions involving bases in Spain must ‘operate within international law’. She added that military installations on Spanish territory would be prohibited from ‘providing support unless humanitarian considerations required’.
The 1953 agreement between Spain and the US gives Madrid the right to determine how American forces stationed on its territory are used. Robles emphasised that bases in Spain did not participate in the attack on Iran on Saturday 28 February and will not be used for ‘operations of maintenance and support’. She added that Spain’s policy on base usage does not reflect support for the regime in Iran, which she described as ‘horrific and dictatorial’. ‘The solution can never involve the use of violence,’ she warned.