Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on 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 potential trade action
Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that “Spain has been terrible,” and said he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain. He added, “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
Trump said he had the right to stop business involving Spain, adding that embargoes were an option. He also repeated his frustration with the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that his broadest global tariffs were illegal under a national emergencies law.
Military base access and aircraft relocation
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 again 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.”
Merz response on EU trade negotiations
Merz said he told Trump privately that Spain could not be excluded from a trade agreement reached between Brussels and Washington last year. He said, “Spain is a member of the European Union and we negotiate about tariffs with the United States only together or not at all,” adding, “There is no way to treat Spain particularly badly.”
Remarks from Bessent and Greer
Trump publicly asked Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer their opinions on cutting off Spanish trade. Greer said, “Well, sir, I think we’ll talk about it with you,” adding, “We know you can use it, and if you need to use it to assure national and economic security, we’ll do it.”
What impact could a U.S. trade embargo on Spain have on EU-U.S. trade negotiations?
