Trump Threatens to Halt All Trade with Spain After Madrid Refuses to Allow US Bases for Iran Strikes
President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade ties with Spain after it refused to allow US forces to use its bases for strikes on Iran. He also criticized the UK for limited cooperation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to halt all trade with Spain after Madrid refused to allow US warplanes to use its military bases for strikes against Iran.
Speaking at the White House during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said Spain had been “terrible” and announced he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off economic dealings with the country.
“We’ll stop all trade with Spain. We don’t want any relationship with Spain,” Trump told reporters.
Spain cites UN Charter
Spain’s left-wing government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, had earlier said US forces could only use Spanish bases for activities consistent with the UN Charter.
The US military operates from two long-standing facilities in Spain: Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base.
Sánchez has been among the European leaders most openly critical of Trump and has also resisted calls to increase NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP — a target pushed by Trump.
In response to the US president’s remarks, the Spanish government said bilateral trade is “mutually beneficial” and stressed that any review of economic ties must respect international law and EU-US agreements.
Spain added it has the resources to mitigate potential economic fallout and diversify supply chains if necessary.
Trump also criticizes UK
Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with the United Kingdom for not joining the Iran offensive more fully.
Referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
While the UK allowed US aircraft to use two bases for limited defensive purposes — including RAF Fairford and the joint UK-US facility at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia — London declined to authorize broader offensive use of British bases in Cyprus.
Trump also criticized Britain’s agreement to return the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.
Broader tensions
The dispute comes amid escalating hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran, as well as growing global economic instability linked to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
It remains unclear what legal mechanism Trump could use to halt trade with Spain, especially after the US Supreme Court previously limited his use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs.
Prime Minister Sánchez has called for dialogue to end the Iran war, saying it is possible to oppose the Iranian regime while also opposing what he described as unjustified and dangerous military intervention.