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The United States Embassy in Madrid published this Monday a graphic showing that the country is the largest foreign investor in Spain, with 10.009 billion euros and over 330,000 jobs created in 2025, in a message widely interpreted as a veiled warning amidst the ongoing diplomatic crisis between the two countries due to Operation Epic Fury.
Tensions between Washington and Madrid escalated following the Spanish government's refusal, led by Pedro Sánchez, to authorize the use of the Rota and Morón bases for a war that Spain fully opposed, as well as the passage of U.S. aircraft involved in the joint military operation launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on February 28 through Spanish airspace.
The Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, confirmed the prohibition on March 30 with a firm statement: "Spain will not authorize under any circumstances, nor has it done so, nor does it, nor will it allow the use of the bases in Rota and Morón to go to a war that we are completely against."
The response from Washington was immediate and forceful. President Donald Trump described Spain as a terrible partner and threatened to cut all bilateral trade, while days later he reiterated: "Maybe I'll cut all trade with them".
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio also lashed out at Madrid on March 31, questioning the usefulness of the Atlantic alliance: "We have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we have committed to protecting, and which denies us the use of its airspace and brags about it, that denies us the use of its bases. And then you wonder, what does the United States gain?"
As an immediate reprisal, Washington moved at least 15 KC-135 Stratotanker tanker aircraft from Spanish bases to the German base of Ramstein and other locations.
In this context, the graph published this Monday by the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, based on data from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, highlights the extent of economic dependency: U.S. investment in Spain nearly triples that of the second country, France, which contributed 3.27 billion euros in 2025.
Sánchez responded this Tuesday from Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, asserting that Spain's position should not offend anyone and expressing regret that those who criticize governments that violate international law are then "subjected to the threats of those countries".
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