The President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to cut all bilateral negotiations and trade with Spain following the European country's refusal to allow the use of the military bases in Rota and Morón, amid rising tensions due to the war against Iran.
In a joint press conference with the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, from the White House, Trump expressed his frustration with the Spanish Government's refusal to allow the use of its bases and asserted that he is willing to “cut all trade relations with Spain”.
"No one will tell me if I can use those bases or not.", he asserted.
"Spain has said that we cannot use their bases, but if we want, we can fly and use them. No one is going to tell us that we cannot say that," said the leader.
He then emphasized that "Spain has nothing that we want. It is a fantastic country but a terrible ally. We do not want to have anything to do with them."
"I can stop everything related to Spain tomorrow, or better yet, today. Any business that has to do with Spain, we might do that with Spain," he noted.
Trump's statements come on the fourth day of war in the Middle East, the second with the financial markets open. European stock markets closed the day with losses exceeding 3%, reflecting investor anxiety over the escalation of the conflict.
Trump concluded his statements by pointing out that the European country has been a terrible ally for the U.S.
"Some countries in the European Union have been on our side. Germany has been a great ally. The Secretary General of NATO is a fantastic person. But there are countries like Spain that are a terrible country and ally. I have already told them to cut all negotiations with Spain," he stated at the press conference.
In recent hours, Israel has continued to bomb targets in Iran, while Israeli ground troops have entered Lebanon, a country that serves as a base of operations for the pro-Iranian militia Hizbulá.
One of the most significant attacks has been directed against the headquarters in Qom of the Assembly of Experts, the institution responsible for appointing the Iranian supreme leader who will succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So far, Iranian media have not confirmed whether there were people inside the building during the bombing.
For its part, Iran has continued its attacks. On Tuesday, Iranian projectiles struck central Israel, leaving at least twelve injured. In addition, Tehran claimed to have targeted the United States embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Given the deterioration of the situation, the Spanish Government announced evacuation operations for citizens residing in the Middle East or who were there at the onset of the conflict.
This noon, a group of approximately thirty pilgrims who had been stranded in Jerusalem arrived in Madrid from Cairo. The Valencia Basket expedition that was in Abu Dhabi also began its return.
The diplomatic tension between Washington and Madrid adds a new political front to an international landscape already marked by the open conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Filed under: