Trump Threatens Trade Halt Over Spain's Military Base Ban
US President Donald Trump has threatened to cease all trade with Spain after the Spanish government prohibited the US from using its military bases in southern Spain for operations targeting Iran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump criticised Spain's decision, describing the country as "terrible" and indicating a potential complete trade cutoff.
"We don't want anything to do with Spain,"he told reporters.
It remains uncertain whether the Trump administration will implement this threat or the mechanisms by which trade with a European Union member state could be restricted.
This development adds to the existing strains between the US and Spain, including disagreements over Spain's reluctance to meet Trump's demand for NATO allies to increase their defence spending.
On Tuesday, Trump stated,
"I could tomorrow - or today, even better - stop everything having to do with Spain, all business having to do with Spain."
Both Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asserted that the US has the legal authority to impose an embargo on Spanish imports.
However, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer offered a non-committal response when asked for his opinion on the proposed trade restrictions.
"We're going to talk about it with you,"Greer said.
"You have the strong power that the Supreme Court clarified - we know you can use it. And if you need to use it to assure national and economic security, we'll do it."
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the trade threat.
Dispute Over Defence Spending and Military Operations
On the same day, Trump expressed frustration with Spain's refusal to raise its defence spending to 5% of its gross domestic product, a target that many other European countries have accepted.
Trump has previously suggested that Spain could face economic penalties for not meeting defence spending expectations.
The European Union's policy of allowing free movement of goods among its 27 member states complicates any attempt to impose trade restrictions on a single member country.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2025, the US exported approximately $26 billion worth of goods to Spain, while imports from Spain totaled about $21 billion. Spain's primary exports to the US include pharmaceutical products and olive oil.
Spain's Position on US-Iran Conflict
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of Europe's few left-leaning leaders, condemned the US and Israel's military actions against Iran on Sunday, calling them an
"unjustified, dangerous military intervention"that violates international law.
Officials in Madrid stated their decision to bar US military base usage for operations in Iran was based on the argument that such actions would contravene the United Nations charter.
Additional Remarks on UK Cooperation
Trump also criticised the United Kingdom for being
"very uncooperative"regarding his efforts to use military bases for attacks on Iran. However, he did not issue any explicit threats to impose trade restrictions on the UK.
