Spain has denied the White House’s statements over the possible use of Spanish military bases by American armed forces for operations within the Middle East amid the war in Iran.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares denied the European government had modified its position after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Spanish government in Madrid agreed to assist the U.S.
“I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war within the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and using our bases has not modified one iota.”
Albares’ rejection got here after Leavitt said, “With respect to Spain, I feel they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear.”
“And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to co-operate with the U.S. military. And so I do know that the U.S. military is co-ordinating with their counterparts in Spain,” Leavitt said during Wednesday’s press briefing on the White House.
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“The president expects all of our European allies, after all, to co-operate on this long sought-after mission, not only for the US but in addition for Europe, to crush the rogue Iranian regime,” Leavitt added.
The disagreement first broke out on Tuesday when U.S. President Donald Trump said he was going to “cut off all trade with Spain,” a day after Albares said that his government wouldn’t allow the U.S. to make use of jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the UN charter.
Albares noted that the military bases in Spain weren’t utilized in the weekend attack on Iran.
“If the U.S. administration wishes to review the trade agreement, it must achieve this respecting the autonomy of personal firms, international law, and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the US,” a spokesperson from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s office said Tuesday.
Sánchez has been critical of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, calling it an “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” military intervention. His government has demanded a right away de-escalation and dialogue and has also condemned Iran’s strikes across the region.
On Wednesday, during a televised address, Sánchez warned that the war within the Middle East risked “playing Russian roulette” with hundreds of thousands of lives.
“We usually are not going to be complicit in something that’s bad for the world and can be contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said.
“In brief, the position of the federal government of Spain will be summarized in 4 words,” Sánchez continued. “No to the war.”
After Spain denied the U.S. use of its bases, Trump said, “We could use their bases if we would like.”
“We could just fly in and use it. No one’s going to inform us not to make use of it, but we don’t must.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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