'Will cut off all dealings': Donald Trump warns Spain after it refuses to let ⁠US military use its bases for strikes on Iran

Spain responds by saying that US must be mindful of the autonomy of private businesses, international law

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain after the European and NATO ally refused to let the ⁠US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

"Spain has been terrible," Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding ⁠that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut off all dealings" with Spain.

"We're going to cut off all trade ‌with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," ​he added.

The US relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain after the country's Socialist leadership said it would not allow them to be used to attack Iran.

Trump again referenced Spain's refusal to heed US calls for all NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, and added: "Spain has absolutely nothing that we need."

"All business having to do with Spain, I have the right to stop it. Embargoes — do anything I want ​with it — and we may do that with Spain," ⁠he said, again expressing his frustration with the Supreme Court's ruling last month that his broadest global tariffs were illegal under a national emergencies law.

No separate treatment for Spain

Merz, speaking with reporters after the meeting, said he told Trump privately that Spain could not be excluded from a trade agreement reached between Brussels and Washington last year.

"I said that Spain is a member of the European Union and we negotiate about tariffs with ⁠the United States only ‌together or not at all," he said. "There is no way to treat Spain particularly badly."

Trump publicly asked Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer their opinions on cutting off Spanish trade.

"Well, sir, I think we'll talk about it with you," Greer said. "We ‌know you can use it, and if you need to use it to assure national and economic security, we'll do it."

Bessent said the Supreme Court affirmed Trump's embargo powers under the International ⁠Emergency Economic Powers Act, adding that the USTR and Commerce Department would begin investigations into how to penalise Spain under other trade laws.

Spain responds

The Spanish government responded in a statement that the US must be mindful of the autonomy of private businesses, international law and bilateral trade agreements between the US and the European Union.

Madrid said ⁠it had the necessary ⁠resources to contain the potential impact of a trade embargo and support affected sectors, but said it would continue to push for free trade and economic cooperation with its partners.

Spain is the world's top exporter of olive oil and also sells auto parts, steel and chemicals to the United States, but is less vulnerable to Trump's threats of economic punishment than other European nations.

The US had a trade surplus with Spain for the fourth year in a row in 2025, at $4.8 billion, according to US Census Bureau data, with US exports of $26.1 billion and imports of $21.3 billion. US exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas to Spain have grown in recent years.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of a dwindling number of Left-leaning voices in Europe, has risked Trump's ire with a series of other policy moves, including refusing to let vessels transporting weapons ​to Israel dock in Spain.