Amid the ongoing war between the US and Iran, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez continues to reiterate his opposition to the conflict, calling the US war on Iran an 'extraordinary mistake'. Sánchez has defied US President Donald Trump's request to jointly operate bases in southern Spain to attack Iran, stating his government's position on the widening Middle East conflict can be summed up in three words: 'No to war.'
Trump has responded by lashing out at the Spanish government, calling Sánchez a 'terrible' ally and threatening to sever all trade with the country. The conflict with Iran is not the first of Sánchez's rift with Trump, as he also refused to join NATO allies in a pledge to boost defence spending as demanded by Trump.
The verbal spat between the US and Spain has dominated headlines and also been a source of embarrassment for Washington over the past week. Spain's assertion that it has not agreed to cooperate with the US military has been met with a counter-claim by the White House, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares clarifying that the nation's stance on the war has 'not changed at all'.
