Donald Trump’s threat has fallen on deaf ears as Spain maintained its position over Operation Epic Fury. Just hours after Mr Trump threatened to cease all trade with the country, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared: “We say no to war.” During a televised address to the nation, Mr Sánchez said joining the US and Israel in its war against Iran would “go against our values and principles”.

He maintained he would not compromise these values “out of fear of reprisals from others”. The prime minister said his position on the war in the Middle East is the same as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He added: “We say no to the breakdown of international law.

“No to assuming that the world can only solve its problems through conflicts with bombs. No to repeating the mistakes of the past … We say no to war.”

Mr Sánchez compared the US attacks on Iran to the 2004 invasion of Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of more than 450,000 civilians.

While he would not speak on the exact outcome of “the fall of the terrible Ayatollah regime in Iran”, he was sure “that it will not result in a fairer international order, nor will it result in higher salaries, better public services or a healthier environment.”

The Spanish leader added: “What we can see for now is more economic uncertainty, increases in the price of oil and also of gas.

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“That’s why we in Spain are against this disaster, because we understand that governments are here to improve people’s lives, to provide solutions to problems, not to worsen people’s lives.”

Mr Trump said on Tuesday: “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

He told reporters, “Spain has been terrible” during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, adding that he told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with the country.