Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez rejects Trump’s risk to cease all commerce

President of the Government Pedro Sanchez speaks during the official opening dinner of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2026 at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya on March 1, 2026 in Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, Spain.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stepped up his criticism of US attacks against Iran on Wednesday, describing the escalating Middle East conflict as a “catastrophe”.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump vowed to halt trade with Madrid after the Spanish government blocked the use of two jointly operated bases on its territory for the attacks.

“Spain was terrible,” Trump said Tuesday during a press conference at the White House alongside Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “We will cut off all trade with Spain. We want nothing to do with Spain,” he added.

In a televised address Wednesday morning, Sánchez said: “Great wars very often begin with a chain of events that spin out of control due to miscalculations, technical failures and unforeseen circumstances. That is why we must learn from history and cannot play Russian roulette with the fate of millions of people,” a CNBC translation said.

Sánchez warned against “repeating the mistakes of the past,” drew a comparison with the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s and summarized the government’s position as “no to war.”

Spain’s socialist prime minister has become one of the leading critics of US and Israeli attacks against Iran among EU leaders.

Trump’s latest comments follow his condemnation of Madrid’s refusal to meet NATO’s defense spending target of 5% of GDP.

of Spain Capricorn 35 The index was trading 1.4% higher around 10:17 a.m. London time (5:17 a.m. ET), recouping earlier losses on jittery U.S. trading. Meanwhile, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose by around 1.2%.

Trump’s threat to punish Spain on trade would be a challenge given that the 27 EU states negotiate trade deals together.

“It is naive to believe that democracy or respect between nations can arise from ruins, or to believe that blind and submissive obedience is a form of leadership. On the contrary, I believe this position is leadership,” Sánchez said.

“We will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and contrary to our values ​​and interests, just for fear of reprisals from others,” he added.

—CNBC’s Charlotte Reed contributed to this report.