Madrid, Spain - Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, recently responded after President Donald Trump threatened to end trade with his country over its opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Sánchez stood by his anti-war stance, which his country has maintained throughout both the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.
"The question is not if we are on the side of the ayatollahs – nobody is. The question is whether we are in favor of peace and international legality," Sánchez said.
He went on to point out how incredibly unpopular it was when former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar dragged Spain into the Iraq war in the early 2000s.
"No to the collapse of an international law that protects us all, especially civilians," Sánchez said.
"No to assuming that the world can only solve its problems through bombs. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. No to war."
The address came after Trump held a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, during which he criticized Spain for refusing to allow the US use their bases to target Tehran and revealed he was seeking to "cut off all dealings with Spain."
While Sánchez didn't mention the threat directly during his address, he did vow to "protect" Spaniards from the expected economic problems the war on Iran may bring, such as a spike in oil prices.
"We are studying ways to mitigate the economic impact," Sánchez said. "We have the capacity and the political will – we did it during the pandemic."