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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, ordered the termination of all relations with Spain after the country refused to allow the United States to use its military bases.
The American leader said this while speaking with journalists.
“Some European countries were helpful, and some were not, and I am very surprised. Germany was great. Spain was terrible. In fact, I told Scott (Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary) to stop all relations with Spain,” Trump said.
The U.S. president also noted that he is “unhappy with the United Kingdom.”
What preceded this
Earlier, Spain refused to support the U.S. operation against Iran, forcing American aircraft to be relocated from Spanish bases.
Spain’s Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, said the United States removed about 12 KC-135 refueling aircraft from military bases in Morón de la Frontera (Seville) and Rota (Cádiz). These aircraft are used to refuel fighter jets in mid-air.
According to her, the cooperation agreement that allows the presence of U.S. troops at Spanish military bases must operate within international law. Robles stressed that the current actions are “unilateral and lack the support of a multilateral organization such as the United Nations, NATO, or the European Union.”
She added that the U.S. tanker aircraft were moved over the weekend to other bases in Germany and France.
Spain’s position on Iran
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stated that the country refuses to support the U.S. and Israeli operation against Iran. He emphasized that unilateral military actions outside the framework of the UN Charter only increase the “spiral of violence” and lack a clear strategic objective.
In addition, last year Spain rejected U.S. demands for NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. Spain’s prime minister said that the future of the continent should be based not on militarization, but on unity and respect for international law.
