Sánchez stands up to Trump and receives more European support

Madrid/BrusselsThe European Union used to bow its head to every misstep by Donald Trump, walking a tightrope to avoid further angering him and turning against him. In the US and Israeli offensive against Iran, European leaders have repeated this strategy of complacency. They barely spoke out in defense of respect for international law, although they didn't directly align themselves with the Pentagon. Pedro Sánchez, however, has been openly opposed from the outset, unequivocally condemning the US and Israeli offensive against the ayatollahs' regime. Although initially he seemed isolated, a growing number of European partners are criticizing the US for the Iran war, and Trump's trade threats against Spain have prompted several leaders to come to Sánchez's defense.

The Spanish Prime Minister has used the clash with the US President to formally declare his position on the war with Iran and the principles that will guide his government's foreign policy. Sánchez summarized it thus: "No to war." And he demanded a cessation of hostilities from the United States, Israel, and also the Iranian regime. "The world cannot resolve conflicts with bombs, and we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past," he reaffirmed.

Sánchez referred directly to the precedent of the Iraq War, in which Spain held a very different position than it does today. The government of José María Aznar, of the People's Party (PP), embraced George Bush's strategy and supported the military invasion under the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction. "Twenty-three years ago, another US administration dragged us into another war in the Middle East to eliminate, in theory, weapons of mass destruction and guarantee global security [...], but it had the opposite effect. It generated a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a migration crisis, and an increase in energy costs. This was the gift of..." tripartite Azores"A worse life," he declared, making a clear reference to domestic politics as well. The "no to war" slogan is a direct jab at the People's Party (PP), since it was the rallying cry that triumphed in 2003 when Aznar supported the United States. Now Sánchez is reviving it. the strategy to corner Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has aligned himself with Trump.

The leader of the People's Party (PP) has openly disagreed with the Spanish president, arguing that his strategy is isolating Spain. He accused him of "appeasing the Iranian regime," as he did with Venezuela, and called for preserving relations with the United States. According to Feijóo, Sánchez is using his political needs to jeopardize national security. "Today, Spain is less secure," he summarized at a breakfast briefing in the Basque Country. In fact, the PP has already submitted a request for an urgent appearance before Congress for Sánchez to explain his foreign policy. Santiago Abascal (Vox) went even further: "He's a vulture. He celebrates every bombing that allows him to hide corruption." At the other extreme, Podemos has called on the Spanish government to implement its "No to War" stance: Secretary General Ione Belarra demanded the closure of the US bases in Rota and Morón, Spain's withdrawal from NATO, and the severing of relations with the United States, as well as intervention in housing, food, and medicine prices. Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo has already rejected the idea: "Spain must continue to operate within the framework of NATO allies." For the Spanish government, politics has now abandoned the left-right axis and is structured between "democrats" and the "modern fascism" they believe Trump represents; and, within this framework, they want to position Pedro Sánchez as the antithesis of the American leader, whose allies in Spain are the PP and Vox parties. In other words, Sánchez's team intends for the upcoming elections to be framed not only as Sánchez or the Feijóo-Abascal tandem, but as Sánchez or a world dominated by Trump and his allies.

Beyond the political rhetoric, and as Moncloa Palace did yesterday, Sánchez also guaranteed that Spain has the necessary resources to respond to a potential trade war with the United States. He assured that the PSOE-Sumar coalition government is working on measures to mitigate the impacts of the war if it drags on, just as it did with the energy crisis, the tariffs, and the pandemic, to help the self-employed, businesses, and families.

The EU comes to Spain's defense

The European Union has come to Sánchez's defense and warned Trump that if he wants to launch a trade attack against a member state, he will have to face the entire European bloc. The Spanish Prime Minister has received calls and explicit support from the President of the European Council, António Costa; the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and the French President, Emmanuel Macron. In contrast, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who remained silent at the White House on Tuesday while Trump attacked Sánchez, has simply justified his silence. "I didn't want to delve deeper into the debate publicly or, perhaps, aggravate it," the German leader said on Wednesday, adding that he discussed relations between the White House and the Spanish government in a "private conversation" with Trump.

Brussels has also issued a statement escalating its rhetoric against Washington and warning that it is "prepared to act to safeguard the EU's interests." In this regard, the European Commission reiterates that competence in foreign trade policy rests with the European Union and, therefore, if Trump attacks a member state commercially, he must confront the entire bloc. "A trade threat to a member state is, by definition, a threat to the entire EU," added European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, at a press conference. Beyond the support for Sánchez regarding Trump's trade threat, the number of European leaders aligning themselves with the Spanish government's position on the Iran war has also grown. For the first time, Macron stated in his televised address Tuesday evening that he did not approve of the US and Israeli attack against the ayatollahs' regime because it does not respect international law. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the President of the European Council have also been more forceful in this regard, and one of Trump's main international critics, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, has added his voice, asserting that the offensive is "incompatible with international law."