US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his country would cut off all trade with Spain after the European nation refused to let American forces use its bases for missions linked to the ongoing campaign against Iran.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he added. Trump cited his ability to impose an embargo on Spain, based on the recent Supreme Court decision over the president’s ability to impose tariffs.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent agreed with the president’s claim that he could put a stop to trade with Spain. Bessent told the president, “I agree that the Supreme Court reaffirmed your ability to implement an embargo.”
Trump’s comments came after the US relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain after the country’s Socialist leadership said it would not allow them to be used in striking Iranian targets.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid would not allow its military bases to be used because the offensive was not covered by its agreement with Washington nor in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations (UN).
The ongoing hostilities in the Middle East have seen a sharp escalation ever since Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other high-profile figures of the country’s military and political circles were killed in military strikes launched jointly by Israel and the US.
Iran responded to the offensive with missile and drone attacks targeting Arab countries in the region. Iran’s retaliation to the coordinated US-Israeli strikes has, so far, involved firing several barrages of missiles at its Gulf neighbours hosting US military bases such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iranian forces also fired missiles at the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. According to an estimate, more than 500 people have been killed in the rapidly evolving crisis between Iran and its arch rivals.
The death toll includes six confirmed American military casualties.
(With inputs from agencies)
