Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, has threatened to sever all ties with Spain after the NATO ally refused to allow America to use its two bases in southern Spain for operations against Iran.
During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump described Spain as “problematic” and said he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all business dealings with the country.
He said, “We’re going to stop all trade with Spain. We don’t want any connection with Spain.”
The warning came shortly after Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares stated that there was little likelihood of any retaliatory actions. Albares explained that the Spanish bases, which remain under Spanish sovereignty, are operated jointly with the US under the treaty between the two nations.
He noted that the bases can be used within the treaty framework while maintaining Spain’s sovereignty. “So, there’s nothing unusual or unexpected about this, and we don’t expect any effects or outcomes,” he said, adding that Washington had not formally requested to use the bases in Rota and Morón.
Trump also criticized Spain for not participating in NATO’s plan requiring member states to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, saying that countries like Germany supported it, but Spain opted out.
“Now Spain said we can’t use their bases, and that’s okay. We could use their bases; if we wanted, we could just fly in and use them. No one is going to stop us from using it. But we don’t have to. But they were unfriendly,” Trump said.