Robles receives US ambassador one day after Trump’s threats to Spain

Eduardo González Defense Minister Margarita Robles received the newly appointed US Ambassador to Madrid, Benjamin León Jr., on Wednesday, just one day after US President Donald Trump threatened to "cut off all trade with Spain" in retaliation for the Pedro Sánchez government's decision not to allow the use of the Morón and Rota military bases for the offensive against Iran. According to a press release from the Ministry of Defense, Robles wished the ambassador "success" "in this period marked by very complicated situations and turbulent times across the globe," and reaffirmed Spain's and its Armed Forces' commitment to peace, "as evidenced by the various missions and deployments under the NATO, UN, or European Union flags." “Ukraine, Gaza, and now the Middle East, demonstrate the volatility of something as important as peace and security,” stated the minister, who praised the role of the Spanish military in “defending these values, their professionalism, and their empathy.” Robles also emphasized Spain’s reliability as a partner in the Atlantic Alliance and the country’s commitment to defending peace, international law, and human rights. The meeting, which took place at the Ministry headquarters and was already on the minister’s agenda before the start of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran, occurred after Spain refused to allow the use of the Morón and Rota military bases for the operation in Iran. The government based its refusal on the Defense Cooperation Agreement, which governs bilateral military cooperation and stipulates that any use of the two bases by Washington for operations not covered by the bilateral agreement must have Spain’s approval. Robles herself insisted this past Monday that the “agreement” with Washington obliges them to operate “within the framework of the law” and requires “international protection for these actions to be carried out.” As a consequence of Spain's stance, the United States has withdrawn at least fifteen tanker aircraft from Morón and Rota, as confirmed by Robles herself. “They left because they weren't going to carry out any operations,” she asserted. Spain's position has outraged Trump, who this Tuesday, during a meeting at the White House with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, described the relationship with Spain as “unfriendly.” “They have good people, but terrible leadership,” he stated. “It all started when I asked every European country to reach five percent, which is what they should be doing. Germany was enthusiastic, they all were. Spain wasn't,” he recalled. “Now they've even said we can't use their bases. We could use their bases if we wanted, we could fly there and use them. Nobody is going to tell us not to use them,” he continued. “Spain has been terrible, so we’re going to cut off all trade with them. We don’t want anything to do with them,” he asserted. Following Trump’s remarks, sources at Moncloa Palace warned that “if the US administration wants to review trade, it must respect international law, corporate autonomy, and bilateral agreements between the EU and the United States.”

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