Spain rebuts White House claim it agreed to assist U.S. military operations after Trump threat

President Donald Trump has ignited a diplomatic feud with two close U.S allies. Trump threatened Spain with economic actions over their refusal to fully back 'Operation Epic Fury', and claimed that he was "not happy with the U.K. either" after London denied Washington permission to use British military bases in the Chagos Islands. "That island you read about, the lease…for whatever reason, he made a lease of the island. Somebody came and took it away from him. And it's taken 3-4 days for us to work out where we can land. It would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours. So we are very surprised. This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with," Trump said, taking a swipe at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

Addressing the House of Commons, Starmer explained the parameters of British military involvement in the Iran conflict, confirming that the U.K. has deployed aircraft and authorized base usage solely for "defensive purposes," citing Iran's ongoing strikes against regional allies as the catalyst for the move. Starmer revealed that the Royal Air Force (RAF) had successfully intercepted an Iranian drone targeting a coalition base in Iraq where British personnel are currently stationed. 

While the U.K. has permitted the use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Starmer has drawn a firm line at direct participation in offensive strikes. "The basis for our decision is the collective self‑defence of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives. It is in accordance with international law. And we have produced a summary of our legal advice, which clearly sets this out," Starmer said. "We will keep the decision under review. We are not joining the strikes, but we will continue our defensive actions in the region. We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any U.K. actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable, thought‑through plan." 

Spain, however, suggested that the joint U.S-Israel operation was against the United Nations charter. "You can't respond to one illegality with another because that's how humanity's great disasters begin," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. "The position of the Government of Spain can be summed up in three words," he added Wednesday morning, "No to war." Trump, on the other hand, said that Madrid was being “very, very ungrateful" and threatened to stop all trade with the country. "We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," the President said. However, the administration provided no clarity on how such a move could be legally or logistically executed, given that Spain's trade policy is governed by its membership in the European Union.

In a more recent escalation, the White House claimed that Spain changed its previous stance and was cooperating with American forces, while a Spanish minister "categorically" denied the claim. "With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president's message yesterday loud and clear, and it's my understanding, over the past several hours, they've agreed to cooperate with the US military," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday. However, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that "not a single comma has changed." "I have no idea whatsoever what they might be referring to," Albares told the Hora25 radio programme.