Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Criticizes War on Iran Calling it a Colossal Mistake

SPAIN – While affirming Spain’s refusal to be part of it, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday criticized the US-Israeli war on Iran, calling it a colossal mistake, while warning of far-reaching consequences.

“This war is a colossal mistake whose humanitarian, moral, economic, and security costs we neither accept nor are willing to pay,” Sanchez said while addressing the lower house of parliament.

He said the current situation is “much worse” than the 2003 Iraq war, warning of a broader and deeper impact.

“Unfortunately, history repeats itself, but this time not as farce, but as tragedy … instead of Iraq, we have Iran,” he said, adding that in this case US President Donald Trump took the place of then-President George W. Bush, who pushed for the widely criticized Iraq war.

“We are not facing the same scenario as in the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something much worse with a potential impact that is much broader and much deeper,” he warned.

Explaining why Spain denied the US use of its Rota and Moron bases for operations related to Iran, even for refueling, Pedro said: “We are a sovereign country that does not want to take part in illegal wars.”

He also mentioned the government’s €5 billion (over $5.8 billion) response plan to cushion the conflict’s economic fallout, including aid, tax exemptions, and measures to protect households and businesses, calling it “the largest social safety net in the entire European Union.”

“Every bomb that falls in the Middle East ends up hitting – and we’re already seeing it – our families’ wallets,” he said.

The premier stressed that the last thing the world needs is another “illegal, absurd, cruel war,” which serves “only one purpose: to feed the interests of a few … of those at the top.”

Sanchez said Spain’s stance echoes the historic antiwar protests against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, noting that the same message has been repeated since the first strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and continues as the conflict expands.

“We say no to the unilateral breaking of international law; we say no to repeating the mistakes of the past; we say no to dressing up as democracy, which is in reality greed and political calculation,” he said. “In short, we say no to war!”