SPANISH prime minister Pedro Sanchez has hailed a peace deal struck between the United States and Iran as a reason to ‘celebrate’ – before slamming US-Israeli strikes as ‘a failure’ in his latest scathing criticism of American foreign policy.
He made the comments after US president Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials confirmed that a framework peace deal had been agreed to bring an end to a 15-week conflict that has left thousands dead and rocked the world economy.
The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said war would end on all fronts from Monday night, including in Lebanon.
Trump also said the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route would reopen, declaring on Truth Social: “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
The exact details of the agreement remain unclear, with implementation dependent on the signing of an initial memorandum of understanding on Friday which Pakistan, a mediator in negotiations, said would take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
“More than 7,400 dead, the majority civilians. Hundreds of homes, schools and hospitals destroyed. A widespread increase in prices and billions of euros in losses, also in Europe. This is the toll that the conflict in Iran has taken,” Sanchez wrote on X.
“We trust that the peace agreement announced today will serve to put an end to this senselessness, that it will be respected by all parties and that it will thus mark the beginning of a new stage in the Middle East.
“Let us celebrate. But let us not forget. And let us learn once and for all that war is a failure. Dialogue and democracy are the only path.”
Last month, Trump doubled down on a threat to pull US troops out of Spain amid a row over the war in Iran that has soured diplomatic relations.
The US president said that he would ‘probably’ withdraw American soldiers from two jointly-operated bases in Andalucia, linking the move to the Spanish government’s outspoken criticism of Trump’s military campaign in the Middle East.
When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he would consider pulling troops out of bases in Europe, Trump replied: “Yeah, probably…well, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
Sanchez has been a vocal critic of the war in Iran and has faced a barrage of insults and threats from the White House as a result.
In early March, Trump lashed out at Spain over NATO spending and threatened to impose a trade embargo over Madrid’s refusal to allow Washington to use two joint bases for operations against Tehran.
Spain decided to exercise a veto over the use of Rota and Moron air bases in Cadiz and Sevilla respectively amid fears that US-Israeli strikes on Iran constituted a breach of international law.
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