Trump Threatens Full Trade Embargo Over Spain's Refusal to Be Complicit in Iran Attacks

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over the Spanish government's refusal to allow US aircraft to use its military bases for the war that the United States and Israel are waging on Iran.

Speaking with reporters at the White House beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz just after noon Eastern time, Trump initially signaled that he'd already taken action against Spain, but less than 10 minutes later, the president suggested he was still deciding.

Referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was also in the room, Trump said: "Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain."

Trump claimed that "it started" last year, when every other NATO member caved to US pressure to aim for spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035, "and Spain didn't do it."

"And now Spain actually said that we can't use their bases. And that's all right. We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody's going to tell us not to use it. But we don't have to. But they were unfriendly," the president continued. "Spain has absolutely nothing that we need other than great people. They have great people but they don't have great leadership."

Again complaining about their refusal to commit to 5%, he said that "we're gonna cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain."

However, just minutes later, while referencing the recent US Supreme Court ruling against his sweeping tariffs, Trump said: "As an example, we talked about Spain. I could, tomorrow, stop, or today even better, stop everything having to do with Spain. All business having to do with Spain, I have the right to stop it—embargoes, do anything I want with it. And we may do that with Spain."

Both sets of remarks were swiftly denounced by a range of critics. The anti-war group CodePink declared: "Ludicrous. The US is threatening to stop all trade with Spain to force them to spend more money in an effective US weapons cartel. This is only normal in a war economy."

Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy, called out Trump's threat to use Spanish bases without permission. Sharing a clip on social media, he said, "Trump openly threatens the territorial sovereignty of yet another NATO ally.

Zeteo journalist Mehdi Hasan similarly responded: "He is a 19th century imperialist. Or at least talks like one and wishes he was one. 'We could just fly in' to Spain, against the wishes of the sovereign national government? That's literally an illegal invasion and brazen violation of international law."

On Monday, David Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International, welcomed Spain's decision and argued that "Europe should close all of the US bases on its soil."

After Trump's Tuesday comments, Adler said: "Flagrant disregard for European sovereignty—and security. Enough. Close the bases. All of them."

"Holy shit—Trump said this while sitting next to Friedrich Merz?!" he added. "Total European humiliation. Truly abject."

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur focused on the occupied Palestinian territories and a target of Trump administration sanctions, responded to the US president by praising the "strength" of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

"The peoples of Europe do not want to be complicit in a system that kills children and protects those who profit from their blood," Albanese said. "Europe deserves better, and you are already part of that change. Thank you."