The president Donald Trump once again criticized the Government of Spain this Wednesday in statements to journalist David Alandete, warning that "I might cut all trade with them" and describing their leadership as "terrible," although he praised the Spanish people.
Trump's statements echo and exacerbate the threats he made on March 3 during a press conference at the White House alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when he stated: "We are going to cut all trade with Spain. We want nothing to do with Spain."
In his new statements, Trump was emphatic: "They are not cooperating at all. They are doing it really badly. I might cut off all trade with them. They have been very bad with NATO and do not want to pay their fair share. The people of Spain are fantastic, but their leadership is terrible."
The trigger of the crisis is the refusal of the government of Pedro Sánchez to authorize the use of the U.S. military bases in Rota, Cádiz, and Morón, Seville, for Operation Epic Fury, the offensive launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. Spain invoked the bilateral defense agreement of 1988, which requires prior Spanish authorization for uses of the bases not foreseen in NATO defense.
As an immediate response, Washington moved at least 15 KC-135 Stratotanker tanker aircraft from those bases to the German base at Ramstein and other locations. The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured that "neither from Morón nor from Rota have they conducted or will they conduct any maintenance or support actions" for the attacks against Iran.
Tensions escalated on March 4 when the White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, stated that Spain "had agreed to cooperate," a claim that Minister Albares promptly denied in a direct response to the White House. Trump also ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to initiate investigations for potential trade sanctions against Spain.
The dispute over the bases is joined by the conflict over defense spending. Trump demands that Spain increase its military investment to 5% of GDP, a target set at the NATO summit held in The Hague in June 2025. Spain reached 2% of GDP in 2025, fulfilling for the first time the commitment made in 2014, but the Government of Sánchez considers this level sufficient, backed by an agreement with Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Italy and France aligned with Spain by rejecting involvement in the offensive against Iran, which in its first seventy-two hours attacked more than 1,700 Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
The bilateral trade between Spain and the United States amounts to approximately $46 billion annually, with Spanish exports totaling around $16 billion, primarily in the agri-food and industrial sectors. Spain also imports nearly 40% of its liquefied gas supply from U.S. territory, making any disruption in trade particularly sensitive. In October 2025, Trump had already sugested expelling Spain from NATO for not increasing its defense spending to 5% of GDP.
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