Friedrich Merz emphasized to Donald Trump during their White House meeting that a unilateral agreement with Germany or an agreement covering Europe excluding Spain is impossible, stating that all parties are “in the same boat.” Trump publicly criticized Madrid during the meeting, arguing that certain European countries, including Spain, acted poorly during the American strikes against Iran.
Trump pointed out that Spain refused to allow the use of its military bases for the operation, threatening to halt trade relations with the country in response. In response, Merz confirmed that Spain is a member of the European Union. He argued that any trade negotiations with the United States must be conducted collectively or not at all, emphasizing that Spain cannot be targeted with unilateral sanctions.
Reports indicate that trade negotiations within the European Single Market are managed by the European Commission on behalf of all 27 member states, preventing individual countries like Germany from negotiating independent deals with third parties. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares declared that Spain will not permit the use of its southern military bases for any strikes not authorized by the United Nations Charter, confirming the bases were not involved in the weekend attack on Iran.
A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that any review of trade agreements must respect international law, private company independence, and existing bilateral EU-US agreements. This diplomatic tension follows Madrid’s criticism of the American and Israeli strikes on Iran, which were described as “unjustified and dangerous,” with calls for de-escalation and a return to dialogue.
