“I categorically deny this,” Albares said in an interview on Spain’s Cadena Ser radio network. “Spain’s position on the war in the Middle East, on the attack on Iran, on the use of our bases, has not changed.”
The White House claim came hours after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered a televised address emphatically condemning the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran, in which he also affirmed Spain had said “no to war.”
Albares said Madrid’s commitment to staying out of “a military operation that is being carried out in violation of international law” is unwavering.
“There is an agreement, a bilateral accord, and outside the framework of that bilateral agreement, there will be no use of Spanish sovereign bases,” he insisted, referencing a 1953 agreement with the U.S. that gives Madrid a say over how American forces stationed on its territory are used. “Any operation must be within the framework of the United Nations.”
The foreign minister said he had no idea where Levitt had gotten her incorrect information, and boasted that the Spanish government had received messages of support from its European partners throughout the day.
Albares also said that Madrid had “nothing to fear” from the U.S. “What does a country that respects international law and seeks peace have to fear?”