Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday reaffirmed his opposition to a potential US-Israel strike on Iran, warning that the conflict in West Asia could become a “Russian roulette” with the lives of millions at stake.
Sanchez emphasised that Spain’s stance on the current crisis aligns with its positions on Ukraine and Gaza. He criticised violations of international law, stressing that global challenges cannot be resolved through military action or bombing campaigns.
“This is how humanity’s great disasters start … You cannot play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions. The position of the Spanish government can be summarized in four words: ‘No to the war.’ We’re not going to be complicit in something that’s bad for the world nor contrary to our values and interests simply to avoid reprisals from someone,” Sanchez said while addressing people in Spain.
Sanchez recalled how several countries were compelled to fight the war in 2003, asserting that past mistakes should not be repeated.
“Twenty-three years ago, another US Administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East. A war which, in theory, was said at the time to be waged to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, to bring democracy, and to guarantee global security, but which, in reality, analysed with perspective, produced the opposite effect. It unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity that our continent had suffered since the fall of the Berlin Wall,” the Spanish PM said.
“The war in Iraq provoked a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a severe migration crisis in the eastern Mediterranean and a widespread increase in energy thus impacting in the cost of the shopping basket and the cost of living,” he added.
Trump rebukes Spain for not allowing US to use its base
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to sever all trade with Spain after Madrid refused to grant permission for the United States to use its military bases in support of operations against Iran.
“Spain has been terrible. We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.