Trump threatens to cut off trade with Spain after it disallowed US use of joint bases in Iran war

"We're going to cut off all trade with Spain, Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. We don't want anything to do with Spain. The U.S. president's comments came a day after Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country would not allow the U.S. to use the bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations' charter."

"If the U.S. administration wishes to review the trade agreement, it must do so respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law, and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the United States, a spokesperson from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office said Tuesday."

"It was just the latest instance of the president wielding the threat of tariffs or trade embargoes as a punishment and came on the heels of a Supreme Court decision that struck down Trump's far-reaching global tariffs. While the court said that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs, Trump now maintains that the court allows him to instead impose full-scale embargoes on other nations of his choosing."

President Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The threat followed Spain's Foreign Minister stating that Spanish military bases would not be used for strikes outside UN charter coverage, and Spain's decision to spend 2.1% of GDP on defense rather than NATO's 5% target. Trump claimed the U.S. would have nothing to do with Spain commercially. However, Spain's government noted that trade negotiations fall under European Union authority covering all 27 member states, requiring respect for international law and existing bilateral agreements. The threat represents Trump's continued use of tariffs and embargoes as diplomatic leverage, following a Supreme Court decision limiting his unilateral tariff authority.

Read at www.eastbaytimes.com