The Spanish government has slapped back at Karoline Leavitt after she claimed it had caved to Donald Trump’s demands to use the European ally’s military bases to attack Iran.
The White House press secretary claimed on Wednesday that Spain had changed its position on the conflict after Trump threatened a trade embargo.
“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear,” she told a media briefing.
“And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military,” Leavitt added. “And so I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.”
However, just moments later, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares flatly denied his government had a change of heart.
“I can refute (Leavitt). The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed one iota,” Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Spain has refused to allow the U.S. military to use jointly operated bases in the south of the country.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused Trump of “playing Russian roulette” with people’s lives and called the attacks on Iran “unjustifiable.”
“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” he said in a national address.
Trump warned on Monday that he planned to cut off trade relations with the European Union country over its refusal to cooperate with his war mission.
“We could just fly in and use it. Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t have to,” Trump said.
The president also criticized the U.K. for hesitating before lending its support to the U.S. war effort.
