SPAIN has denied White House comments on Wednesday over the possible use of Spanish military bases by American planes in its war against Iran.
Moments after a White House spokesperson said the Spanish government had agreed to help, Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares denied any change in its stance.
Speaking to Cadena Ser radio, Albares said: “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
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The disagreement broke out on Tuesday when Donald Trump said that he was going to ‘cut off all trade with Spain’- a day after Albares said that the government wouldn’t allow the U.S. to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the U.N. Charter.
Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, stated that his government wouldn’t ‘be complicit in something that is bad for the world’.
Albares denied that the position had changed on the use of the bases on Wednesday evening in Madrid shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said ‘with respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear’.
“And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military,” Leavitt added.
“And so I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.”
Pedro Sanchez has called the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran an ‘unjustifiable’ and ‘dangerous’ military intervention.
Sánchez again criticised the U.S. and Israel’s military actions in Iran on Wednesday in a nationally televised address.
While not mentioning Trump by name, Sanchez stood firm against trade threats from Washington and warning that the war in the Middle East risked ‘playing Russian roulette’ with millions of lives.
“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sanchez said.
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