WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – The White House said on Wednesday that Spain has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade, but Spain denied making such a deal.
Trump on Tuesday had vowed to sever trade with Madrid over its stance against the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Asked about the issue on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had been told that Spain had relented.
“I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear. It is my understanding over the past several hours they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military,” Leavitt told a news briefing.
She did not elaborate.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares denied Spain had made such an agreement.
“I categorically deny it. I heard about these statements on my way here, and I’ve had time to look into them and listen to them a little,” Albares told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
“The Spanish government’s position on the war in the Middle East and the bombing of Iran regarding the use of our bases has not changed at all. Therefore, I categorically and sincerely deny it. I have no idea what this could refer to or where it could have come from.”
Trump floated imposing a trade embargo on Madrid over its refusal to allow U.S. aircraft to use jointly operated naval and air bases in southern Spain for the offensive against Tehran. Spain has denounced the U.S. and Israeli bombings of Iran as reckless and illegal.
Spain “will not be vassals” to another country, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Jesus Montero said on Wednesday. In a televised address earlier, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated Spain’s anti-war stance, warning that the conflict risked triggering a major global disaster.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and Jesus Aguado in Madrid; Editing by David Ljunggren and Daniel Wallis)
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