Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Friday that he is not concerned after reports suggested the United States might consider suspending Spain from NATO in retaliation for its opposition to the war against Iran.
“Spoain is a reliable partner within NATO and we fulfill our obligations to the Alliance,” he defended himself in English to the press at the EU summit in Cyprus, adding, “So, no need to worry.”
“We do not work based on emails (mentioning such reflection in Washington, according to the press), we work based on official documents and positions made by the US government,” he also stated in Spanish.
“The position of the Spanish government is clear: absolute cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he continued in Spanish. The Spanish government under Pedro Sánchez has opposed the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran since the end of February.
This firm stance has greatly irritated US President Donald Trump, who accused Madrid of refusing to let the US use military bases in Andalusia for airstrikes, even threatening to “cease all trade” between the two countries.
For several months, Donald Trump has also criticized Spain for not increasing its military spending to 5% of GDP, as required by NATO’s new target pushed by Washington.
