Monday, July 20, 2026

We’ll use Spain’s military bases if we want; no one can stop us: Trump

Mr Trump further stated that Spain has nothing the U.S. needs, threatening to cut off all trade with the country.

• March 3, 2026
U.S. President Donald
U.S. President Donald Trump [Credit: BBC]

President Donald Trump says no one can stop the U.S. if the country decides to use Spain’s military bases amid escalating conflict with Iran.

Mr Trump, who stated this while hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Tuesday, described Spain as an unfriendly country without great leadership.

“Spain actually said we can’t use their bases. That is all right. We can just fly and use it; no one is going to tell us not to use it. We don’t have to. They are unfriendly. They don’t have great leadership,” Mr Trump stated.

Mr Trump further stated that Spain has nothing the U.S. needs, threatening to cut off all trade with the country.

“Spain doesn’t have what America needs; other than that, they are good people. We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” the U.S. president added.

Mr Trump’s threat came after the Spanish government said the U.S. would not use its military bases to conduct attacks against Iran, insisting Madrid maintains full control over its sovereign facilities.

On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for an immediate end to the escalating violence across the Middle East, while condemning all illegal and indiscriminate attacks.

“This spiral of violence must be stopped immediately, and a return to diplomacy and dialogue is necessary,” Mr Sanchez stated.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump had reached out to top Kurdish leaders in Iraq for cooperation over the ongoing U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Mr Trump’s decision to engage Iraqi Kurdish politicians, including Masoud Barzani, chairman of the Masoud Barzani Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Bafel Talabani Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), came after he approved a significant bombing campaign against Iranian targets as part of a larger confrontation involving numerous regional powers.

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