Chris Walker
Truthout / March 11, 2026
On Wednesday, Spain announced that it would be withdrawing its ambassador to Israel.
The move is in protest of Israel’s continued genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as well as its participation in the joint United States-Israel war on Iran. The Spanish embassy in Tel Aviv will remain open, but will be led by a charge d’affaires.
“At the proposal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, and following deliberation by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on 10 March 2026, I hereby order the termination of Ms. Ana María Sálomon Pérez’s appointment as Ambassador of Spain in the State of Israel,” Spain’s official state gazette stated.
Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated since the latter country began its genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza in late 2023. Spain has been among the most ardent European critics of Israel over its actions in Gaza, and last fall, the Spanish government approved a bill establishing an arms embargo against the country, which includes banning sale of weapons, technology, and military equipment.
In 2024, Spain also formally recognized the state of Palestine. The move prompted Israel to recall its own ambassador to Spain, placing its own charge d’affaires in its embassy within the country ever since.
Relations between the two countries became frostier after the war in Iran began. Spain made it clear from the start of the war that it would not provide the U.S. or Israel access to its military bases.
That decision prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to cut off all economic trade with the country.
“We are going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump said earlier this month.
Shortly after Trump’s threats, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez gave a televised address to his country, further explaining his government’s position on the war in Iran.
“No a la guerra,” Sánchez said, a phrase that means “no to war” and was commonly used during the anti-Iraq war movement in Spain during the 2000s.
Sánchez further said that Spain would “not be complicit in something that is bad for the world — and that is also contrary to our values and interests — simply out of fear of reprisals from someone.”
In a more recent interview, Sánchez reiterated his position.
“When we said ‘no to war,’ there was a wave of pride in being Spanish, not only within our country, but also among many societies across the globe,” Sánchez said.
“This war was not started by Spain. It was a war unilaterally instigated by two nations,” he added, insisting that “instability in the Middle East” would not be resolved “with such a blatant act of illegality.”
Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin
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‘No to War’ – Spain PM Sánchez doubles down on defiance against Trump demands
Chris Walker
Truthout / March 4, 2026
Pedro Sánchez condemned other world leaders for using “the smoke screen of war to conceal their failures.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reiterated that his country will not allow the U.S. to use its military bases as part of the joint U.S.-Israel war against Iran, in spite of economic threats from President Donald Trump.
In a 10-minute televised address to the country, Sánchez was straightforward in his response to Trump: “No a la guerra,” he said.
The phrase, which translates to “no to war” in English, was widely used by the anti-war movement in the country in 2003 when its then-conservative government supported the United States’s illegal war in Iraq.
The prime minister said that Spain would “not be complicit in something that is bad for the world — and that is also contrary to our values and interests — simply out of fear of reprisals from someone.”
“You can’t play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions,” he said.
Sánchez, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, again drew historical parallels, stating that:
The world has been here before. Twenty-three years ago, another U.S. administration led us into an unjust war. The Iraq War generated a dramatic increase in terrorism, a serious migration crisis, and an economic crisis.
“Nobody knows for sure what will happen now,” Sánchez added. “Even the objectives of those who launched the first attack are unclear.”
Sánchez also warned Spanish citizens that they must brace themselves for the consequences of the war on Iran.
“We must be prepared, as the proponents say, for the possibility that this will be a long war, with numerous casualties and, therefore, with serious economic consequences on a global scale,” he said, pointing to the 2003 Iraq War that had “unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity our continent has suffered since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
The prime minister also condemned the US-Israeli war for causing suffering among civilians while “lin[ing] the pockets” of a select few and for other world leaders “to use the smoke screen of war to conceal their failures” – an apparent jab at Trump.
Spain made the decision earlier this week to ban U.S. military forces from using Spanish bases for purposes relating to the war with Iran. The move will prevent aircraft flying from Europe to Iran from refuelling their tanks, for example. At least 11 U.S. aircraft left military bases in Spain as a result of the announcement.
“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Sunday.
In response, Trump claimed he could use Spain’s bases without the country’s permission.
“Spain actually said we can’t use their bases. And that’s all right, we don’t want to do it,” Trump claimed on Tuesday. “We could use the base if we want. We could just fly in and use it, nobody is going to tell us not to use it. But we don’t have to.”
Despite claiming it wasn’t a necessity, Trump nevertheless expressed plans to retaliate through economic means.
“Spain has been terrible, in fact I told [Treasury Secretary] Scott [Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain,” Trump said.
“We are going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he added.
While Trump has panned other world leaders over their refusal to back his illegal war in Iran, new polling shows the vast majority of Americans are not supportive of the military operation, either.
A CNN/SSRS survey released earlier this week finds that nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59 percent) are opposed to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. In separate questioning, 60 percent also said they do not believe Trump has “a clear plan” for how to manage the war.
Top officials in the Trump administration have dismissed comparisons between the Iran War and the Iraq War, like those made by Sánchez, without providing clarification.
“To the media outlets and political left screaming ‘endless wars,’ stop,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Monday. “This is not Iraq. This is not endless. Our generation knows better and so does this president.”
At the same presser, however, Hegseth refused to give a timeline for when the administration could end the war. Trump himself has said the war could last as long as four to five weeks, or even “far longer than that” if he deemed it necessary.
Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin
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Spain denies use of bases for US forces involved in war on Iran
Sharon Zhang
Truthout / March 2, 2026
“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation,” Spain’s foreign minister said.
Spain has denied the use of its military bases to U.S. forces involved in the joint U.S.-Israel war on Iran, including for refuelling, objecting to unprovoked attacks that Spanish officials say are a violation of international law.
At least eleven U.S. aircraft left military bases in Rota and Morón in southern Spain after the announcement. Aircraft trackers showed that at least 7 of 15 U.S. planes that left Spain over the weekend went to Germany.
“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said in an interview on Spanish TV on Sunday.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles also said that the jointly operated bases “have to comply with international legal frameworks” in order for the U.S. to use them.
Spain’s socialist president, Pedro Sánchez, has condemned the U.S. and Israel’s operation. Spain has been outspoken in its opposition to Israel amid the U.S. and Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and last year banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons bound for Israel from calling at Spain’s ports or entering its airspace.
“We reject the U.S. and Israel’s unilateral military action, which is an escalation and contributes to a more unstable and hostile international order,” said Sánchez. He also condemned the actions of the Iranian government and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, calling for deescalation.
“We cannot afford another devastating and drawn out war in the Middle East,” said Sánchez.
UN officials have, indeed, suggested that the U.S. and Israel’s strikes are in violation of the UN charter, which prohibits “the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
“I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace & security,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday.
Spain’s opposition to the war is significant as other major European countries like the U.K., France, and Germany have stated their support for the war. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer originally barred U.S. forces from using U.K. airbases or the U.S.-U.K.-operated base on Diego Garcia on Saturday, but he changed his mind on Sunday after a strike hit a U.K. airbase in Cyprus.
The war is also raising questions about countries’ collaborations with the U.S. to allow military assets to be placed in their countries, especially as Iran strikes U.S. bases in Gulf Coast states.
“This is a genuine question: What would have been a scenario in which Gulf states have barred the US from using bases in their territory, including [intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition] assets, for military operation against Iran? Hard question few would like to take, but a critical one for future of the region,” asked Abdolrasool Divsallar, a researcher for the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.
Protests erupted in the U.S. following the U.S. and Israel’s unprovoked strikes on Saturday in opposition to the war, which polls have repeatedly found is unpopular. This includes polls conducted directly following the strike. Reuters/Ipsos found that only 27 percent of Americans say they support the strikes, while CNN polling found that 59 percent say they disapprove of the decision to strike.
Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering international affairs, politics, and labour
