The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again criticized Spain on Thursday in a phone conversation with journalists from the New York Post. In it, Trump also harshly criticized the United Kingdom, two NATO allies whom he reproaches for not unequivocally supporting the bombing campaign in Iran.
"We have many winners," the American said about his allies and those who have provided support or their facilities, "but Spain is a loser, and the United Kingdom has been very disappointing." "Spain is very hostile to NATO", as reported by the New York newspaper.
The published excerpts do not explicitly mention the ban on the use of the Morón and Rota bases, which angered the White House on Tuesday and drew further criticism from Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, on Wednesday. Trump once again refers to the position of the Government of Pedro Sánchez that a 5% Defense spending is not necessary to fulfill its commitment to collective security. "They do not pay their... they are the only ones who voted against the 5% payment, and they are very hostile to everyone," the president reiterated in the same tone of the past nine months, during which he raised the possibility of "kicking out" our country from the Alliance or implementing economic and tariff punitive measures, which have never materialized.
On Tuesday, Trump put a different threat on the table: an embargo and the rupture of commercial ties. It is legally complicated, politically a huge escalation. His administration has not provided specific details on whether they are actually working on something like this, but there are numerous areas where there could be repercussions. From access to liquefied gas to visa restrictions or the entry of Spanish citizens into the U.S., to the use of Defense material that Spain purchases, worth billions of dollars for cutting-edge technology.
"They are not good partners, and we will not be with Spain either," warns Trump in the interview, which comes less than 24 hours after his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, hinted that Spain had made a significant shift in its policy towards the U.S. and the Iran war following warnings of a possible embargo.
Leavitt did not explicitly state that Spain had indicated a policy change regarding the bombings in Iran, or regarding the "No to War" stance that President Sánchez revived on Wednesday morning. But she vaguely expressed that she was aware that the message had been received and that this had led to renewed cooperation. The truth is that military cooperation, contacts, and coordination, both bilaterally and within NATO, have never been interrupted. The absolute discrepancy lies in the use of bases for attacks in Iran, not in collective defense. That is why Spain continues to have a key position in Turkey or why it has decided to send a frigate to Cyprus, a member of the EU that has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
"Regarding Spain, I believe they heard the president's message yesterday, loud and clear, and I understand that, in the last few hours, they have agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military. And I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain," said Leavitt.
The Spanish Government immediately rushed to say that there had been no change in opinion. "She may be the spokesperson at the White House, but I am the Foreign Minister in Spain and our position has not changed at all. Honestly, I have a lot of work at the moment and no desire or time to speculate," responded Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares.
A day later, the reproaches, attacks, and threats have been repeated.