Spanish Government Denies Agreement to Engage in Military Cooperation with the United States

On March 4, Xinhua News Agency reported from Madrid (reporters Meng Dingbo and Chen Yuzheng) that Spanish Foreign Minister Alvarez denied the claim from the U.S. White House that "Spain has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military," stating that the related assertion is "completely untrue."

Earlier that day, White House Press Secretary Levitt stated at a press conference that Spain had agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military in military actions against Iran. In response to media inquiries, Alvarez said, "I firmly deny this."

The report from the newspaper also mentioned that the Spanish Prime Minister's Office at Moncloa Palace stated that the White House's remarks are "false."

In response to U.S. President Trump's threats, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued a statement on the 4th, reiterating Spain's opposition to the military actions initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, calling for an end to the escalation of conflict, and stating that Spain will not change its anti-war stance out of fear of retaliation.

The day before, Trump stated at the White House that Spain disagreed with the NATO target of increasing military spending to 5% of GDP, and that in the current U.S. military actions against Iran, Spain refused to allow the U.S. to use its military bases, describing the attitude as "unfriendly." Trump threatened to "cut off all trade relations with Spain; we do not want to have any dealings with Spain."