MADRID
\nIn a heated Oval Office meeting on March 3, 2026, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Spain, calling it a \u201cterrible\u201d and \u201cvery uncooperative\u201d ally.
\nThe outburst stemmed from Spain\u2019s refusal to permit U.S. forces to use jointly operated military bases\u2014such as those at Rota and Mor\u00f3n\u2014for operations related to ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.
\nThe comments were made during a press interaction in the Oval Office alongside Merz, where Trump praised Germany and NATO leadership but lambasted Spain and also took shots at the UK for similar \u201cuncooperative\u201d behavior.
\nTrump declared: \u201cWe\u2019re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don\u2019t want anything to do with Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n
He directly instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to \u201ccut off all dealings\u201d with the country, framing the decision as a response to Spain\u2019s stance on the Iran conflict and its failure to meet higher NATO defense spending targets (Trump has pushed for levels beyond the standard 2% of GDP, even suggesting 5%).<\/p>\n
Spain\u2019s government, led by Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez, has condemned the strikes on Iran as \u201cunjustified\u201d and \u201cdangerous,\u201d emphasizing adherence to international law.
\nSpanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares reiterated that the bases, while jointly used, remain under Spanish sovereignty and would not be authorized for such actions. Madrid has responded by stressing that trade relations fall under EU competence and must respect bilateral agreements and international law, pushing back against unilateral U.S. threats.
\nExperts note that implementing a full trade cutoff with an EU member state would face significant legal and practical hurdles, as U.S.-EU trade is governed by broader agreements. The U.S. has reportedly relocated some aircraft from Spanish bases amid the tensions. This escalation highlights strains within NATO amid the Iran conflict, with Trump linking military support to trade and defense spending commitments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADRID In a heated Oval Office meeting on March 3, 2026, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Spain, calling it a \u201cterrible\u201d and \u201cvery uncooperative\u201d ally. The outburst stemmed from Spain\u2019s refusal to permit U.S. forces to use jointly operated military bases\u2014such as those at Rota and Mor\u00f3n\u2014for operations related […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-534906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n