The White House redoubles its criticism against Sánchez and accuses him of “putting the lives” of US soldiers at risk

Scott BessantSecretary of the Treasury of the United States, has delved into the criticism of the White House for the dispute with the Government of Spain over the use of the bases of Rota and Morón. The head of US finances accuses Pedro Sánchez’s executive of “endangering” the lives of his soldiers.

Bessent was present in the Oval Office when US President Donald Trump threatened to suspend “all relations” with Spain. “The President’s frustration with the Spanish government is justified,” he declared in an interview for CNBC. If Trump spoke of “terrible allies”, Bessent uses the term “terrible actors“.

“They are the only NATO members that do not meet NATO requirements,” he denounces, in reference to Moncloa’s refusal to increase the Defense GDP to 5%. “They want to travel for free“summarized the Secretary of the Treasury.

Bessent then brought up the incident from the weekend, when tanker aircraft of the US had to abandon their bases on Spanish soil due to Spain’s refusal to support the ‘Epic Fury’ operation against Iran. “No assistance has been given,” concluded the Minister of Defense, Margaret Robles.

This attitude”very uncooperative“It is “unacceptable,” Bessent said. According to the senior Trump administration official, by putting obstacles to “what they could do” with their planes, “The Spanish put American lives in danger“.

“Anything that hinders our ability to engage in combat and carry out this war as quickly and effectively as possible puts American lives at risk,” he concluded.

Bessent was commissioned to suspend “all trade” with Spain in the press conference that Trump held with the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. However, both seemed to doubt whether the presidential powers authorized what they came to define as a “embargo“.

“The Supreme Court ratified Trump’s ability to impose embargoes“He then maintained Bessent. Pleased with the response, the US president threatened to impose the sanction that same day. “We don’t want to deal with them. Spain has absolutely nothing we need except magnificent people, but They don’t have great leadership.“, he concluded.

Clashes with Spain

Bessent has been one of the most belligerent members of the Trump administration against Sánchez’s measures. He described the approach to Beijing undertaken by the President of the Government as “the equivalent of cutting his own throat”, and collected letters from congressmen who urged Spain to be included on the terrorism ‘black list’ due to its sanctions against Israel.

The latest statements by the Secretary of the Treasury are part of the escalation of tension between Washington and Madrid since the beginning of the military operation. On Wednesday morning, Sánchez responded to Trump’s threats by confirming his condemnation of unilateral action. “It can’t be done respond to one illegality with anotherthus begin the greatest disasters of humanity.”

“We will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and contrary to our values ​​and interests simply for fear of retaliation,” he added, referring to possible US sanctions.

In parallel, the vice president of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, warned that “it is not possible to launch reprisals” against Spain or any other EU country, because the powers in economic matters belong to the Commission and are negotiated “en bloc”.

“We support with full solidarity all Member States and all their citizens and, through our common commercial policy, we are prepared to act if necessary to safeguard the interests of the EU,” said Trade Spokesperson Olof Gill.