Government President Pedro Sánchez speaks at the official opening dinner of Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2026 held at the National Museum of Catalonia on March 1, 2026 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday doubled down on criticism of the US attack on Iran, describing the escalating conflict in the Middle East as a “disaster”.
His comments came after US President Donald Trump pledged to cut off trade with Madrid after the Spanish government blocked two jointly operated bases in the territory from being used for attacks.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump said Tuesday at a White House press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He added: “We are cutting off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
“Great wars often begin with a series of events that spiral out of control due to miscalculations, technical failures or unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, we must learn from history and not play Russian roulette with the fate of millions of people,” Sanchez said in a televised address Wednesday morning, according to a translation by CNBC.
Sánchez warned against “repeating the mistakes of the past,” drawing comparisons to the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s, and summed up the government’s position as “no to war.”
Spain’s socialist prime minister has emerged as one of the leading critics of the US and Israeli offensive against Iran among EU leaders.
President Trump’s recent comments follow his condemnation of Madrid’s refusal to meet NATO’s defense spending target of 5% of GDP.
spanish ibex 35 The index was trading 1.4% higher at around 10:17 a.m. London time (5:17 a.m. ET), reversing earlier losses amid U.S. trade concerns. Meanwhile, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose around 1.2%.
President Trump’s threat to punish Spain on trade will be difficult given that the 27 EU countries jointly negotiate trade agreements.
“It is naive to believe that democracy and respect between nations can emerge from the ruins, or to think that blind, subservient obedience is a form of leadership. On the contrary, I believe this position is leadership,” Sanchez said.
“We will not participate in something that is bad for the world or against our values and interests just because we fear retaliation from someone else,” he added.
—CNBC’s Charlotte Reid contributed to this report.
