Madrid denies White House claim that Spain has ‘agreed to cooperate with the US military’

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt appeared before the press for the first time this Wednesday, the fifth day of the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, and said about Spain that “it is my understanding ​over the past several hours they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.” She added that this change of position comes after Donald Trump’s threats of economic retaliation over Madrid’s refusal to allow Washington to use the Morón and Rota military bases on Spanish soil.

“I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain. But the president expects all of our European allies, of course, to cooperate in this long-sought-after mission,” she added.

But Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, rejected this statement just a few minutes later. ​”I categorically deny it. The Spanish government’s position on the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed one iota,” he said in a radio interview on Cadena SER.

Spain’s position had been summarized by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that morning in an official statement: “No to war.” Albares said that he has “no idea” what Leavitt was referring to. “There is a bilateral agreement, and outside the framework of that bilateral agreement there will be no use of Spanish sovereign bases. Any operation must take place within the framework of the United Nations,” he added.

Leavitt’s words came on the same day that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Madrid in a television interview of “putting American lives at risk.”

Trump has called Spain a “terrible” partner and even threatened a trade embargo, although it’s unclear what that might actually mean. What is clear, however, is that the Republican can’t resort to his favorite tool: tariffs. The United States is not in a position to impose them on Spain without also imposing them on the entire EU bloc.

Also on Trump’s mind is the fact that Spain is the only NATO country that has opposed raising military spending from 2% to 5% of GDP. “We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it,” he said, adding that Spanish authorities were “hostile” and so he decided not to.

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