Spain ‘categorically’ rejected White House official’s claim about US military cooperation, and Scott Bessent plays the victim card

Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, emphatically denied that his country has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military on actions concerning Iran, as reported by The Hill. This directly contradicts a claim made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier the same day.

Leavitt had told reporters during a press briefing that Spanish officials had “heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear.” She stated that it was her understanding that “over the past several hours they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military.” You might recall that President Trump had previously threatened to “cut off all trade” with Spain if they blocked the U.S. from using jointly operated bases for strikes on Tehran that weren’t part of the United Nations charter.

However, Albares made it crystal clear on Cadena SER radio that Spain’s position hasn’t budged “one iota” when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, or the use of their bases. He even expressed confusion, saying, “I have absolutely no idea what that could refer to or where it could have come from.” He wanted to make things very clear to the Spanish people, saying, “The ‘no to war’ position remains clear and unequivocal,” while also noting the outpouring of solidarity from European allies.

The Spanish Foreign Minister also wasn’t buying into the idea that Spain should be worried about a trade embargo

He argued that Europe’s strong economic structure would help insulate his country from any threats President Trump might make. He pointed out, “Why would a country like Spain have anything to fear? We are a reliable partner and ally of NATO and the U.S.”

Albares further emphasized that Spain shares a common trade policy with its European partners, belonging to a single market and sharing the euro currency. He believes that “any trade coercion against Spain is coercion against all Europeans,” especially with the kind of European solidarity they’re seeing, starting with the President of the European Commission.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict. He stated, “We must learn from history; we cannot play Russian roulette with the fate of millions of people.” Sánchez called for the powers involved to “immediately cease hostilities and choose dialogue and diplomacy,” adding that other nations should act with “coherence, defending now the same values that we defend when we talk about Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, or Greenland.”

Adding another layer to this international spat, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Spain of putting American lives at risk. He stated that Spain was “unacceptable over the weekend” because they were “highly uncooperative regarding the U.S. bases and what we could do with our planes as we began executing the, on Operation Epic Fury.”

Bessent believes that “anything that slows down our ability to engage and prosecute this war in the fastest, most effective manner, puts American lives at risk.” It seems Spain is standing firm on its “no to war” stance, despite the White House’s claims and accusations.