What Lies Behind Spain's Stand Against Attacking Iran and Its Fearlessness in Trump's Threats?
Spain has pledged to continue opposing the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. The Spanish government remains unmoved even as President Donald Trump said Washington would sever all commercial ties with Madrid over the stance.
Trump’s condemnation came on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, after Spain refused to allow the US military to use its bases for a mission related to the attack on Iran. “Spain is very bad,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz? Friedrich Merz. [Note: Preserve proper names as in original. However, the original named “Friedrich Merz”; we will keep that name without alteration.]
“We will cut all trade with Spain. We do not want to have any dealings with Spain at all,” Trump added.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of the few left-wing leaders in Europe who condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as “unjustified” and “dangerous”, said in a nationally televised address on Wednesday that Spain’s stance is “not for war”.
“This is how the start of a great catastrophe for humanity. The world cannot solve its problems with conflict and bombs,” Sánchez said.
His stance reinforces Spain’s status as a country that is different in Europe; Madrid has been one of the few European countries that consistently condemns Israel’s war in Gaza.
In Patron Bar in Malasa
, Madrid, Gema Tamarit watched Sánchez’s televised speech on the restaurant’s TV, the volume raised. “Trump is angry. We are not afraid of him. Kudos to Sánchez for standing up to him. Some other European leaders should do the same,” said Tamarit, 53, a software engineer.
A series of polls show that more than half of Spaniards oppose Trump’s foreign policy. According to a February poll published by Eurobazuka, 53 percent said they opposed the president’s policy, the third-highest proportion by nationality after France (57 percent) and Belgium (62 percent).
In another poll published in January, almost 60 percent of Spaniards said they did not agree with the US president’s operation to arrest former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to a survey by GESOP for the Prensa Ibérica group.
Eurobazuka surveys show 48 percent of European citizens regard Trump as an “enemy of Europe”, compared with 10 percent who see him as an ally.
Trump’s trade threats