Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after the country refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
Trump’s comments and proposed trade action
Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that “Spain has been terrible,” adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain. Trump said, “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
Military aircraft moved from Spanish bases
The United States relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain after Spain’s Socialist leadership said it would not allow them to be used to attack Iran.
NATO spending dispute
Trump referenced Spain’s refusal to heed U.S. calls for all NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, and said, “Spain has absolutely nothing that we need.”
Potential penalties and legal references
Trump said, “All business having to do with Spain, I have the right to stop it. Embargoes – do anything I want with it – and we may do that with Spain.” Bessent, speaking alongside Trump, said he would instruct the United States Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce to begin investigations into how to penalise Spain.
Supreme Court decision and IEEPA
Trump said that although the Supreme Court last month struck down his ability to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose broad global tariffs, the decision “totally reaffirmed” his ability to impose a full trade embargo under the law. IEEPA, passed in 1977, has been used for sanctions to cut Iranian, Russian and North Korean entities out of the U.S. dollar-based financial system and to impose licensing requirements to control or halt exports of sensitive technologies to certain countries. Bessent told Trump, “The Supreme Court reaffirmed your ability to implement an embargo.”
What impact could a U.S. trade cutoff have on Spain’s economy and U.S.-Spain relations?
