On 3 March 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would halt all trade with Spain. He made the remark at the White House during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump linked the threat to Madrid’s decision not to allow the Rota and Morón bases to be used for missions connected to strikes on Iran.
The Spanish government said the bases are on Spanish territory under Spanish sovereignty and that they were not used for attacks on Iran. In the days after Spain’s decision, 15 U.S. aircraft departed from Rota and Morón. Trump also criticised Spain in the context of defence spending and NATO targets. Merz said publicly that Spain is part of the European Union and cannot be carved out from EU-wide trade arrangements.
On 4 March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticised Trump’s threats in a televised address. Spanish authorities did not announce any formal U.S. executive action to restrict trade.