White House Says Spain Agreed to Military Cooperation

RunWithRugs · 2026-03-22T10:57:48+00:00

Spain agreed to cooperate with US military forces after a diplomatic standoff, prompted by Trump's threats to cut trade ties. This swift reversal indicates Madrid prioritized its economic relationship with the US over earlier resistance to military access.

RunWithRugs

2026-03-22 10:57:48

Abstract generation in progress

(MENAFN) Spain reversed course on Wednesday, agreeing to cooperate with US military forces following a sharp diplomatic standoff over American access to Spanish bases — just one day after President Donald Trump threatened to sever trade ties with the European ally.

The breakthrough was confirmed by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who signaled that Madrid had taken Trump’s economic warning seriously and moved swiftly to mend the rift.

“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear, and it’s my understanding … they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military and so I know that the US military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain,” Leavitt told reporters.

The climbdown came just 24 hours after Trump escalated the dispute dramatically, threatening sweeping trade consequences after Madrid blocked Washington from utilizing Spanish bases to conduct strikes against Iran.

The US president made no effort to soften his position, delivering a stark ultimatum from the Oval Office while hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump told reporters.

Wednesday’s agreement marks a swift diplomatic u-turn by Madrid, suggesting that the prospect of losing access to one of its largest trading partners proved too steep a price to maintain its earlier stance against facilitating US military operations in the region.

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