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'No to war’: Spain PM hits back over Trump’s threats to cut trade over military base access
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'No to war’: Spain PM hits back over Trump’s threats to cut trade over military base access

#Spain #Trump #Iran conflict #Military bases #Trade threat #NATO spending #Middle East crisis #No to war

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Spanish PM Sanchez criticized U.S. strikes against Iran as a 'disaster'
  • Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over base access refusal
  • Sanchez warned against repeating past mistakes like Iraq invasion
  • Spain's Ibex 35 index dropped following Trump's trade threat
  • Sanchez emphasized 'No to war' position and defended leadership stance

📖 Full Retelling

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez doubled down on his criticism of U.S. strikes against Iran in Barcelona on Wednesday, March 1, 2026, describing the escalating Middle East conflict as a 'disaster' after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over its refusal to allow American use of Spanish military bases for the operations. The diplomatic tension escalated as Sanchez emerged as one of the leading EU critics of the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, warning against 'repeating the mistakes of the past' and drawing parallels to the Iraq invasion. During a televised address on Wednesday morning, the Spanish leader emphasized his government's 'No to war' position, stating that 'very often great wars start with a chain of events spiralling out of control due to miscalculations, technical failures, and unforeseen circumstances.' Trump's threat came during a White House news conference on Tuesday alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where the U.S. president declared: 'Spain has been terrible. We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain.' While Trump's remarks rattled Spanish markets—causing the Ibex 35 index to lead losses among European bourses—analysts note that such unilateral action would be challenging given that EU nations negotiate trade agreements collectively. Sanchez defiantly countered the pressure, stating: 'It's naive to believe that democracy or respect among nations can spring from ruins, or to think that blind and servile obedience is a form of leadership.'

🏷️ Themes

Diplomatic tensions, Military conflict, Trade relations, International leadership

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Original Source
In this article A3M-ES UAMY Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, speaks during the official opening dinner of the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026, at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, on 1 March 2026, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Europa Press News | Europa Press | Getty Images Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday doubled down on his criticism of the U.S strikes against Iran, describing the escalating Middle East conflict as a "disaster." His comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to cut off trade with Madrid after Spain's government prevented two jointly operated bases in its territory from being used in the strikes . "Spain has been terrible," Trump said on Tuesday, during a White House news conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," he added. In a televised address on Wednesday morning, Sanchez said: "Very often great wars start with a chain of events spiralling out of control due to miscalculations, technical failures, and unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, we must learn from history and cannot play Russian roulette with the fate of millions," according to a CNBC translation. Sanchez warned of "repeating the mistakes of the past," drawing a comparison with the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s, and summarized the government's position as: "No to war." watch now VIDEO 4:48 04:48 Spain's Sanchez says Middle East crisis is a 'disaster' Squawk Box Europe Spain's socialist prime minister has emerged as one of the leading critics of the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran among leaders of EU nations. Trump's latest comments follow his condemnation of Madrid's refusal to meet the NATO defense spending target of 5% of GDP. Spain's Ibex 35 index led the losses among Europe's major bourses during early trading. The index was down 0.8% at around 9 a.m. London time (4 a....
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