Spain has refused to allow the United States to use joint military installations on Spanish soil for operations against Iran, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten cutting off all trade with the European Union member state.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on March 1, 2026, that the bases at Rota and Morón in southern Spain would not be made available for missions linked to American and Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing that the offensive was neither covered by the bilateral defence agreement with Washington nor in line with the Charter of the United Nations.
“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States, or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Albares told Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.
The US has since relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the two installations.
On March 3, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, before a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, that “Spain has been terrible”. He said he had ordered US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with the country.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” the President added.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has stood firm against the threats. In a televised address, he said his government would not “be complicit in something that is bad for the world”.
“In short, the position of the government of Spain can be summarised in four words,” Sánchez said. “No to the war.”
The Prime Minister warned that the attacks on Iran risked “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives and could draw the West into another protracted military entanglement in the Middle East, comparable to past American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Albares later denied claims by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that Madrid had reconsidered its position. “The position of the Spanish Government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota,” he told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
It remained unclear how the President could lawfully cut off trade with Spain, given that the European Commission negotiates commercial agreements on behalf of all 27 EU member states.
Asked on CNBC whether a trade embargo with Spain was feasible, Bessent said it “would be a combination effort” and accused Madrid of endangering American lives. “Anything that slows down our ability to engage and prosecute this war in the fastest, most effective manner puts American lives at risk,” he said. “The Spanish put American lives at risk.”
The Rota and Morón bases are jointly operated under a bilateral agreement but remain under Spanish command. Trump claimed Washington could “just fly in and use” the installations if it wished.
The clash is the latest flashpoint between Madrid and the Trump administration. Sánchez has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli campaign in Gaza and last year refused to sign up to the NATO pledge to lift defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP among allies.
The European Union has said it will protect its interests and seek to stabilise the trade relationship with Washington following the deal reached last year, which came after months of tariff uncertainty.
