At a time when some seem willing to incur the wrath of the US president, Spain is out.
For several days after the start of the US-Israeli attack IranThe country felt like a lone EU voice questioning the legality of the operation.
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Then it refused to let go and went further Americans use Spanish bases to launch their military operations.
Donald Trump He rewarded these actions by threatening Spain with a trade war.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said, surrounded by conspicuous silence. German Chancellor.
Frederick Merz met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Image: AP
But Spain is not budging. Today, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation and summed up his position in four words: “No war.”
He said the stance was not a sign of support for the ayatollahs; Instead, he called on Iran, Israel and the US to stop fighting before it’s too late.
“Twenty-three years ago, another US administration dragged us into a war with the Middle East. This triggered the greatest wave of insecurity our continent has experienced since the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Mr. Sanchez said.
He warned that the war would risk “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives.
Clearly not afraid to further challenge the US president, he said that governments are meant to improve people’s lives and provide solutions to problems, not make them worse: “It is unacceptable that leaders who are incapable of fulfilling their duties try to cover their failure with the smoke of war.”
Oh!
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Trump is not used to being so openly defiant. As I write, we are still awaiting his response to this morning’s speech, but it is unlikely that he will leave it unchallenged.
Others have already responded, with Spanish Vice President of the European Commission Teresa Ribera throwing her weight behind her country, condemning Trump’s threats as harmful to global stability.
“Tensions arise from this way of relating to third parties, even if it is the British Prime Minister Keir StormerFrench president Emmanuel Macronor Pedro Sánchez, is profoundly disruptive to societies, to peace, cooperation and the economy,” he said.
Sir Keir Stormer, Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron are trying to navigate a tense situation with Donald Trump. File photo: Reuters
Meanwhile, sources in France and Spain told us the French president plans to call Sanchez to show his loyalty.
In a softer tone last night, Emmanuel Macron joined the Spanish prime minister in questioning the legality of the strikes, concluding that they were carried out “outside international law” and that Paris “cannot sanction them”.
But what about Germany – the EU’s biggest beast?
While Friedrich Merz did not join Trump in his criticism of the Spanish stance on Iran, the German Chancellor certainly did not come to Spain’s defense.
In fact, he later mentioned that he was still negotiating with Madrid to increase its NATO contributions – another sore spot for the US president.
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Donald Trump and Pedro Sanchez exchanging warm greetings in October 2025. Image: Reuters
When questioned by reporters later, the chancellor addressed the attacks on Spain and the UK privately, reminding Donald Trump that Spain is an EU member and therefore cannot be singled out for treatment.
“I don’t want to escalate or expand the debate publicly,” Merz explained.
His reasoning — that an open challenge to Trump could escalate the situation — makes sense Zelenskyy experience last yearSpanish is not affected.
Spain’s foreign minister expressed his “surprise” at the chancellor’s behavior, saying, “I can’t imagine Chancellor (Angela) Merkel or (Olaf) Scholz making such remarks.”
Other Spanish sources stated, “Merz had an attitude unbecoming of a European leader who advocated the unity of his partners.”
Frederic Merz has placed himself firmly in Madrid’s firing line by choosing not to oppose Donald Trump.
