Sánchez takes European lead against Trump’s war on Iran

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has become the main voice of protest within the European Union against the war of aggression led by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Since the attacks began last Saturday (28), Sánchez has classified the offensive as a violation of international law and an “unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.

The prime minister also decided to prevent US military planes from using Spanish bases for operations against Tehran – a move that provoked a direct reaction from President Donald Trump, who threatened to cut off trade relations with the European country.

“We will not be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values ​​and interests, simply for fear of reprisals from anyone,” said Sánchez.

“Spain is with the Charter of the United Nations. It is with international law and, therefore, with peace.”

The Spanish government informed that facilities such as the Rota and Morón de la Frontera air bases cannot be used to support military operations against Iran, limiting their use only to activities compatible with international law.

The restriction was confirmed by Defense Minister Margarita Robles. According to her, US troops stationed at the two installations must operate “within the framework of international law”, and the bases will not be able to offer logistical or operational support to attacks against Iran.

There is a consensus in the international community that the war of aggression between the United States and Israel is illegal, for assassinating a political leader of a sovereign country, for not having authorization from the UN Security Council to bomb a United Nations member state and for violating Iranian territorial sovereignty.

Robles also stated that the Spanish facilities did not participate in the offensive launched on Saturday and will not be used for maintenance or military support operations related to the conflict.

Data from the tracking website FlightRadar24 indicates that, over the weekend, more than a dozen US military aircraft left the Rota and Morón bases. Some of them were moved to the Ramstein air base, in Germany.

According to the Spanish government, the decision to restrict the use of the bases was communicated to allies and follows the position defended by Madrid since the beginning of the crisis: opposition to military escalation and defense of a diplomatic solution.

The Spanish position was also taken to the emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers held on Sunday.

According to diplomatic reports published by the European press, Spain defended that the bloc recognized the violation of international law caused by the attacks and criticized what it called a “double standard” in the application of the United Nations Charter.

After the meeting, Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stated that the European Union’s role in the face of the crisis must be to promote “de-escalation, dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation”.

Sánchez’s positions, however, provoked a direct reaction from Donald Trump. In a press conference at the White House alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the US president criticized the Spanish government and stated that the United States could interrupt its trade relations with the country.

Trump also declared that Washington would not depend on Madrid’s authorization to use military bases located on Spanish territory, a threat to Spanish sovereignty and a NATO member state.