Trump Vows To Cut Off Trade With Spain After Base Refusal During Iran Operation

President Donald Trump sharply criticized several NATO allies on Monday, threatening to cut off trade with Spain after the country refused to allow the United States to use its military bases during strikes on Iran.

Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump said he was frustrated with what he described as a lack of cooperation from European partners during the operation.

“We were going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump told reporters. “Spain has been terrible. Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases.”

Trump added that while the Spanish people were “great,” he believed the country’s leadership had failed to support the United States.

Spain’s government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, condemned the joint U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran as unilateral military action that violated international law. Madrid also declined U.S. requests to use bases in the southern cities of Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base to assist the bombing campaign.

The dispute also ties into broader tensions between Washington and some NATO members over defense spending. Trump has repeatedly pushed allies to increase military budgets to 5% of gross domestic product, a level Spain has resisted.

Trump also took aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticizing the United Kingdom’s initial refusal to allow American forces to launch strikes from bases tied to the British-controlled island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said of Starmer.

The island is part of the Chagos Islands, a territory Britain has agreed to transfer to Mauritius while maintaining a long-term lease for military operations. Trump criticized the arrangement and suggested it had complicated cooperation between the two countries.

According to reports, the UK later reversed course and allowed American forces to use bases in England and on Diego Garcia to strike Iranian ballistic missile infrastructure, though not other targets.

Starmer addressed the issue in the House of Commons, stating that the British government does not support “regime change from the skies,” underscoring the policy divide between Washington and some of its European allies as the conflict with Iran continues to unfold.