Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/04/pedro-sanchez-donald-trump-threat-cut-off-trade-spain

PM says his country will not be complicit in growing conflict in Middle East ‘simply out of fear of reprisals from someone’

The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to Donald Trump’s extraordinary threat to cut off all trade with Spain over his government’s refusal to facilitate the US’s ongoing attacks against Iran, comparing the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions”.

Sánchez, who has been one of the most vociferous European critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, said his government’s position on the widening instability could be summed up in three words: “No to war.”

In a section of the speech that appeared to directly address Trump’s threats to end all trade with Spain, the prime minister said his country would “not be complicit in something that is bad for the world – and that is also contrary to our values ​​and interests – simply out of fear of reprisals from someone”.

MBFC

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Someone with a backbone and conscience. If more European leaders understood this they could form some sort of cohesive, idk, Union. And use that “bloc” as a power base to negotiate from. So that they don’t all have to bend over and submit to the will of the United States every time we tell them to jump and bark.

Does Spain export a lot of things to the US? If not, this is hardly much of a threat.

Spain imports more from the USA that it exports:

Source: https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/esp/partner/usa?redirect=true