Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares said Monday that the military operation launched by the United States and Israel against Iran “is not about democracy”, stressing that American military bases on Spanish soil are not being used.
“We want democracy, freedom, fundamental rights for Iranians, but I also want to be very clear, this military operation is not about democracy in Iran, it’s about other things,” Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation said in an interview on Spanish TV channel Telecinco.
Albares condemned the “unilateral action” of the United States and Israel, as well as Iran’s “unjustified attacks” against neighbouring countries in response.
The Spanish FM echoed the sentiments of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who on Saturday was quick to call the aerial bombings on Iran “a breach of international law” that “contribute to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” while also rejecting “the actions of the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard.”
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Following warnings from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom that they could attack Iran to safeguard their interests and those of their partners in the Middle East, Albares stressed that “this is the time for de-escalation” and a return to negotiation, as opposed to “a military escalation with ramifications impossible for anyone to calculate or foresee.”
Regarding the use of Spanish military installations, the Foreign Minister denied that the United States is using the Rota and Morón air bases in Andalusia for the US-led offensive.
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“I want to be very clear and very emphatic: The bases are not being used and will not be used for anything that is not within the framework of the agreement and for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” he stated emphatically.
“I have absolutely no information that the United States is using our bases, because they are bases under Spanish sovereignty, for this operation,” he stated, adding that this “does not fit within the Charter of the United Nations.”
Approximately 30,000 Spaniards who have been trapped by the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Albares indicated that both the Foreign Ministry and the embassies in the countries involved are trying to offer them all possible information and assistance within the current limitations.
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“They have to understand that at this moment the situation they find themselves in, especially those who are in Iran (…) and in the Emirates, countries that are very, very affected, is exactly the same situation that all citizens of all countries in the world find themselves in, because the airspaces are closed and therefore it is impossible for any commercial or other type of aircraft to enter or leave those countries,” Albares explained.
“While this situation lasts, everything is much more complicated,” implying that no evacuation operation can currently be organised.
“I am personally leading this entire group of ambassadors to ensure that Spaniards receive the best possible care and that those who wish to return to Spain can do so as soon as possible, because at this time it is not possible for them or for citizens of any country in the world,” he concluded.
At the opening ceremony of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday Spain’s King Felipe VI referred to the “critical juncture” the Middle East is approaching , warning of the “risk of regional escalation ” and “unforeseeable consequences” for the countries in the region.
The monarch has called for “utmost restraint in the use of force” to avoid “a chaotic situation and blatant repression.
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