President Trump vows to sever trade with Spain for refusing base access to attack Iran and criticises UK’s lack of cooperation in the conflict.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened to sever all US trade with Spain after it refused to let American planes use its bases to attack Iran.

He also lashed out at Britain for not cooperating more with the US military operation. “Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.

He cited Spain’s refusal to join NATO allies in pledging to boost defence spending to 5% of GDP. “So we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump said.

He claimed he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings with Spain”. The Spanish government responded that it had a “mutually beneficial” trading relationship with the United States.

“If the US administration wishes to review this relationship, it must do so while respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law and bilateral agreements,” it stated.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for dialogue to end the war on Iran. Sanchez said one can “oppose a hateful regime and at the same time oppose an unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.

US forces use the Rota naval base and Moron air base in Spain. Trump also expressed displeasure with Britain for not joining the assault on Iran.

“I’m not happy with the UK,” Trump said, adding of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.” Starmer authorised US use of two UK bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.

He did not authorise the use of UK bases in Cyprus. “It’s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land,” Trump said in an apparent reference to the Diego Garcia base.

Trump denounced Starmer for agreeing to return the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius.

 The Sun Malaysia