Sánchez’ Military Veto Against the United States Was a Bluff

We Spaniards are used to Pedro Sánchez not telling the truth. We’ve been living with it daily for the past seven years. But this week, Spain’s socialist-communist government went a step further: it lied to all of Europe—to the entire world, really. Sánchez clashed with Donald Trump after announcing on Monday that the United States was prohibited from using Spanish military bases for operations in Iran. Following the announcement, at least 15 American aircraft left Spain for other European bases. Hours later came Trump’s furious response, calling Spain a “terrible” partner and announcing that he had ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with the country: “We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

For his part, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares insisted on Spain’s decision: “Spanish bases are not being used for this operation.” On Wednesday, Sánchez appeared with great solemnity to respond to Trump’s threats, reaffirming his stance, proclaiming “no to war” and showing particular arrogance: “We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world simply out of fear of reprisals from some.”

By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Defense Minister Margarita Robles met cordially with the United States Ambassador to Spain, Benjamin León Jr., at the Ministry of Defense. At the end of the meeting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that “Spain has agreed to cooperate militarily in recent hours,” revealing a radical change in position. 

Spanish Television (TVE), the public broadcaster controlled by Sánchez’s government, reported Leavitt’s statements and almost simultaneously aired a graphic denying them, according to government sources. Next, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares was even more precise: “I categorically deny it. The Spanish government’s position on the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”

Minutes after Albares’s statement went public, a group of Twitter users focused on flight RCH846, a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, which had departed from Rota Air Base in Cádiz at 8:45 PM with a destination different from all previous flights. Unlike the others, which were part of the relocation to Germany, following Sánchez’s veto, this one appeared to be heading to the Middle East, confirming that the United States was still using Rota in southern Spain as usual for its military operations in Iran. Within hours, up to 15,000 Spaniards logged into the Flightradar24 app, tracking RCH846 and commenting live on Twitter, waiting to see if Sánchez had lied to everyone again. As it slowed near Sicily, ironic social media comments peaked: “They’re stopping for a pizza.” The aircraft finally landed in the early hours at the Italian Sigonella Air Base, seemingly ending the debate over who was telling the truth—the White House or the Spanish government. But that wasn’t its real destination. Shortly afterward, the same plane took off again, now clearly heading for the Middle East, disappearing from radar—as often happens—upon approaching the war zone.

The C-17 Globemaster III is a heavy transport aircraft of the US Air Force. It is used to rapidly move troops, vehicles, and supplies anywhere in the world, carrying tens of tons of cargo, including armored vehicles, helicopters, logistical containers, or military personnel. It can land on short or semi-prepared runways, making it ideal for war zones.

At least one other American military aircraft destined for the Iran war operated normally from Spanish bases in the early hours of Thursday. Once again, the Sánchez government’s categorical stance proved to be a staged performance for domestic consumption and to promote Sánchez’s image in the international press, while, behind closed doors, Spain sided with the United States and bowed to Trump’s dictates.

It should be noted that Sánchez’s ‘no to war’ stance was not accidental. In his speech, he directly alluded to the Iraq War and recalled the massive ‘no to war’ demonstrations that the Socialist Party used to undermine José María Aznar’s government in the months leading up to the 2004 elections. In those elections, the People’s Party (PP) was the favorite in the polls, but the campaign was overshadowed by the March 11 Madrid bombings and the brutal manipulation by the PSOE, which sent thousands of demonstrators to surround PP headquarters under the slogan ‘no to war,’ blaming Aznar for the victims, even as bodies were still being recovered and dozens of injured Spaniards fought for their lives in hospitals. That manipulation succeeded, and against all odds, Mariano Rajoy’s PP lost, and the then-unknown Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became prime minister.

Sánchez invoked that spirit to try to revive the ‘no to war’ stance against Trump and the Spanish right, shifting attention from his government’s corruption to Iran amid the regional election campaign in Castile and León, where polls predict an unprecedented disaster for the PSOE.

The RCH846 episode was not isolated. On Thursday morning, two other significant events revealed the grotesque way the Spanish government tried to deceive everyone. First, an audio recording of Robles’s meeting with the U.S. ambassador, leaked through an accidentally open microphone, captured her saying a phrase leaving no room for interpretation: “No, no, I’m with Trump.” Second, early Thursday, the Ministry of Defense announced the deployment of Spain’s most advanced frigate, the Cristóbal Colón, to Cyprus. It will join the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle’s naval group for air defense missions and to support the Spanish Navy’s Patriot missile battery in Adana, Turkey. The Spanish mission in Adana played a key role Wednesday in neutralizing a ballistic missile headed for Turkey, intercepted by NATO air defense after a warning from the Spanish, who later were revealed to have detected the threat.

Pedro Sánchez’s ‘no to war’ stance lasted less than 48 hours. Now Europe and the United States know the true value of the Spanish prime minister’s word.