'No to war': Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez stands firm against Trump, rejects U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran

As other European leaders offered cautious statements, backtracking, or outright support for the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered a striking rebuke of President Donald Trump's military actions on Wednesday — refusing to back down even a day after Trump threatened to cut off trade with Spain.

The Spanish prime minister responded to Trump's extraordinary threat to halt all trade with Spain over his government's refusal to facilitate U.S. attacks on Iran, likening the growing Middle East conflict to playing "Russian roulette with the destiny of millions."

Sánchez, one of Europe's most vocal critics of Israel's actions in Gaza, summarized his government's position on the widening instability in three words: "No to war."

Later in the day, dueling accounts emerged: the White House claimed that Madrid, which had denied access to its bases for the Iran strikes, had backed down and agreed to "cooperate." The Spanish government quickly rejected this claim.

For months, the left-leaning Sánchez has embodied European resistance to Trump, clashing with the president over defense spending and contrasting Spain's mass legalization of migrants with the "cruel" crackdowns elsewhere. As the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran unfolded on Saturday, Sánchez condemned the Iranian regime but also criticized the operation as contributing "to a more uncertain and hostile international order."

Trump escalated tensions on Tuesday by threatening to cut off trade with Spain, but Sánchez doubled down on his high-stakes stance, delivering sharp criticism in a national address on Wednesday.

"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," Sánchez said, clearly referring to Trump.

In a pointed historical reference, Sánchez evoked the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, warning that "we must learn from history, and we cannot play Russian roulette with the fate of millions of people."

"Twenty-three years ago, another American administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East," Sánchez said. "It was claimed at the time that the war aimed to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, bring democracy, and guarantee global security. In reality, however, it produced the opposite effect, triggering the biggest wave of insecurity our continent has experienced since the fall of the Berlin Wall."

The spat intensified late Wednesday after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president's message loud and clear. Over the last several hours, they've agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military, and the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain."