Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares “categorically” denied Washington’s claim that Spain has agreed to cooperate with the US military on Wednesday, as a rift between the two countries grows over US-Israeli military action in Iran.
“I categorically deny any change… our position on the use of the bases, on the war in the Middle East, on the bombardment of Iran, has not changed at all,” Jose Manuel Albares told Cadena SER radio on Wednesday, according to AFP.
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In an operation dubbed Epic Fury by the White House, the US launched air strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Although several European countries traditionally allied with the US have criticized its military intervention, Spain has made itself an outlier by refusing to grant the US access to its bases in the region – and drawn US President Donald Trump’s ire.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
Then, in a strange turn of events, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a Wednesday night news briefing that Spain’s position has changed.
“I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear. It is my understanding over the past several hours they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military,” she said, according to Reuters.
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Less than a day earlier, according to The Guardian, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had said that his country’s position could be summed up in three words: “No to war.”
Spain will not be “complicit in something that is bad for the world – and that is also contrary to our values and interests – simply out of fear of reprisals from someone,” he added.
Iran has launched retaliatory air strikes across the Gulf states, damaging civilian infrastructure as well as military targets.
Britain has also angered Trump with its less-than-full-throated support for his actions, despite the two countries’ historic special relationship.
Although UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has allowed the US to use its bases in the region for defensive purposes, he has refused to join the US and Israel.
“I’m not happy with the UK,” Trump said on Tuesday. “It’s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land. This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”