Spain denies agreeing to military cooperation with US: media

MADRID -- Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Wednesday denied claims by the White House that Spain had agreed to "cooperate" with the US military, calling the statement "categorically false," according to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

"The spokeswoman may speak for the White House, but I am the foreign minister of Spain," Albares said when asked about remarks made earlier by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "I categorically deny it."

The Spanish prime minister's office, the Moncloa Palace, also rejected the claim that Spain had agreed to "cooperate militarily," describing the White House statement as "false," the report said.

On March 3, US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, criticized Spain for refusing to raise its defense spending to the NATO target of 5 percent of GDP and for declining to allow the United States to use Spanish bases in its military strikes against Iran.

Trump described Spain's stance as "unfriendly" and threatened to cut off all trade ties with the country.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday reiterated Spain's opposition to the military actions launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, calling for an end to the escalation and saying Spain would not change its anti-war position out of fear of retaliation.