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White House says Spain agreed to join US in Middle East ops. Spain denies claim: ‘Our position not changed one iota’
Spain's denial came minutes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that it agreed to 'cooperate with the US military.
Soon after the White House said that Spain had agreed to join Washington in its operations in the Middle East, Spain has denied the claim. Track updates on US-Iran conflict
“I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Spanish minister José Manuel Albares told radio station Cadena Ser, AP reported. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
What White House press secretary said
Spain's denial came minutes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing on Wednesday (local time) said that it agreed to 'cooperate with the US military. “I think they heard Trump’s message yesterday loud and clear. They have agreed to cooperate with the US military. The US military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain,” Leavitt said.
Donald Trump on Spain
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to snap all trade ties with Spain following Spanish minister José Manuel Albares's statement that his country wouldn't allow the US to use jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the UN charter. Follow updates on gulf region
Also read: US torpedo strikes Iranian ship off Sri Lanka coast, video shows frigate flinging in air | Watch
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also criticised the US and Israel's military actions in Iran, as he warned that the war in the Middle East risked “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives.
“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said in a televised address, the Associated Press reported.
