Spain will never back military action without international law backing, minister says

Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles firmly stated that the country will never support military actions that lack the backing of international law. Her remarks came in response to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who criticized allies for not assisting the United States with bases or European ports to attack targets in Iran, calling the situation "shameful."

“

Spain will never support any military action that does not have the support of international law.

Robles emphasized Spain's commitment to the Atlantic Alliance and peace, asserting that any military operation must have international legal support. She highlighted that Spain supported the intervention in Ukraine because it was a "just and legitimate war" with international backing, contrasting it with other cases where Spain withheld support due to the absence of such backing.

“

We respect everyone's position, the position the U.S. Secretary of War has presented, but we continue to believe that the important thing, and all allies have been in this line, is fundamentally unity because if we are not united, Russia continues the war in Ukraine and there are many countries bordering Ukraine that are living in a situation of alarm and permanent threat.

Speaking during a meeting of allied defense ministers, Robles described Spain as a "reliable, responsible, serious, and committed" ally that met its defense spending target of 2% last year. She noted that some countries expressed concern over Russian drone attacks on Ukraine and stressed the importance of unity for the upcoming summit in Ankara.

“

Spain is a 'reliable, responsible, serious, committed' ally and 'coherent,' which last year met the objective of reaching 2%.

Additionally, Robles commented on the U.S.-Iran agreement, calling it positive and expressing hope for a peace accord extended to Lebanon, where Spanish troops are stationed. She concluded that it was not the time for polemics, focusing instead on allied unity and Spain's consistent, responsible stance.

“

We supported Ukraine from the beginning because it was a just war, because it was a legitimate war, because it had the support of international law and in other cases, we understood that the use of bases was not appropriate precisely because there was no support from international law. I think it is no longer the time to get into polemics.