President Trump announces US will suspend all trade with Spain over Iran war
President Donald Trump announced on March 3 that the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after European countries refused to allow Spain to use U.S. military bases for missions related to the attack on Iran.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has slammed NATO allies for not contributing more financially to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s defense and ordered his administration to cut off trade with Spain.
“Spain is a wasted cause, and by the way, we don’t want to do any trade with Spain anymore,” President Trump said on the second day of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8.
The president also directed his remarks to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, adding: “I want them to cut ties. Spain is a terrible partner for NATO.” “They won’t participate. They won’t pay. I want nothing to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits. Watch them run back. Oh, they’ll run back.”
Trump made the remarks while sitting next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who remained silent as Trump criticized Spain. President Trump said, “I’m not satisfied with NATO,” citing the NATO alliance’s resistance to the acquisition of Greenland and the refusal of NATO members to support the United States’ war effort against Iran.
President Trump said he had met with the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Italy to seek support for the Iran war, but he did not bother to contact Spain.
“They’re treating this guy badly,” Trump said, gesturing toward Rutte. “Spain has not agreed to anything, so it should not be brought in.”
Spain, a NATO member since 1982, spends about 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, falling short of President Trump’s demand for 5% to be spent on allies. NATO has set a goal of reducing defense spending to 5% by 2035.
President Trump also hinted at an embargo against Spain in 2025, saying he wanted to end U.S. trade with Spain “immediately.”
The president has broad powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to restrict or block economic transactions involving foreign countries.
But to make such a move, the president would have to prove that the country poses an “unusual or unusual threat” to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States and declare the situation a national emergency.
In 2025, the United States imported $35.3 billion in goods from Spain and exported a total of $39.2 billion in goods.
President Trump said of Spain: “I wish you would stop even talking to them. They are hopeless.” “They’re bad people because they’re paying everyone else to go and work for them. And Spain, especially Spain, there are some others, they’re open about it and they’re hostile. When they call and say, ‘Please, please, we want to do business with you,’ look at how hostile they remain.”
“They’re making a lot of money doing business with us, and we’re going to make a lot less of them. I don’t want to do business with them.”
Contributed by: Reuters
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