Iran: Spain says no to Washington; “You can be against the regime while rejecting unjustified military intervention”

Brussels – There is another way. This is the view of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who announced at a press conference on Saturday (28 February) that the United States would be banned from using the military bases in Rota, Cadiz, and Moron de la Frontera, Seville, to send weapons to Israel, forcing Washington to find alternative routes to Iran. For the Spanish leader, “today, more than ever, it is essential to remember that you can be against a heinous regime” such as that of the Iranian ayatollahs, “while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous, and outside of international law,” such as the joint attack by the United States and Israel on Tehran. He suggests the position that the European Union should take: “There is always room for a negotiated solution, instead of focusing on the devastation of weapons as the only possible way forward. For this reason, I would like to call for immediate de-escalation and full respect for international law. This is Spain’s position, and I think it should also be that of the European Union,” he said.

The bases in southern Spain are strategic transit hubs for US troops, equipment, and fuel bound for the Middle East and the Gulf. Their use has already sparked controversy in the past, particularly during last year’s brief Israel-Iran conflict, when they were used as stopovers for US bombers and tanker aircraft, following reports of military transfers to Israel despite the embargo announced by Madrid. This time, however, Madrid is saying no to their use. At the inaugural dinner of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sanchez recalled that “two countries have unilaterally attacked Iran, the United States and Israel, without consulting the international community.” And even if “it is true that they have decapitated a terrible regime that represses its people, particularly women and girls, a militaristic regime that has attacked, and continues to do so, without any justification, most of its Arab neighbours,” at the same time “all these actions violate international law and are causing hundreds of innocent victims.” For these reasons, “one must oppose a war that was started without the authorisation of the United States Congress or the United Nations Security Council and that violates international law,” he added. 

The Spanish leader’s warning provoked immediate reactions. Last night (2 March), in a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Sánchez of pandering to terrorists and oppressive regimes. Spain “stands with all the tyrants of the world,” Sa’ar told Euronews. “First, Hamas thanks Sánchez.
Afterwards, the Houthis thanked Sánchez.
Now Iran thanks him.
Is that being on the ‘right side’ of history?” Sa’ar wrote on X. Meanwhile, in the United States, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the tycoon, stated on X: “the current government in Spain is becoming the gold standard of pathetically weak European leadership that has lost its moral way, apparently reluctant to condemn the terrorist regime in Iran and have nothing but criticism for the United States.” He added: “In times like these, you learn the true nature of your allies…I’m hoping this current Spanish government is an aberration, not the norm. History will note where Spain was as the President and others try to bring down the most bloodthirsty regime since WWII,” Graham concluded.

 Tensions are also running high on the British front. Donald Trump told the Telegraph that he was “very disappointed in prime minister Keir Starmer for “blocking him from using Diego Garcia,” the British military base in the Chagos Islands, to carry out attacks against Iran, explaining that this impediment was unlike anything that had “ever happened before between our countries.” However, the Prime Minister backed down on Sunday evening and said he would allow the United States access to Diego Garcia for “specific and limited defensive purposes.” Trump said Starmer “took too long” to change his mind. Meanwhile, Starmer called “outrageous” Iran’s reaction involving several Gulf countries allied with the UK, in a region where some 300,000 British citizens live. After London gave the green light, Iran hit a UK Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, in southern Cyprus. The Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, confirmed it was struck by a Shahed drone. 

Meanwhile, the conflict is escalating, and it is not possible to lower the guard. President von der Leyen posted a message on X: “Although the Republic of Cyprus was not the direct target, we stand collectively and firmly behind our Member States in the face of any threat.” The issue is far from negligible, especially given that Cyprus holds the EU Council presidency in the first half of 2026.