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By John Ogunsemore
Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has accused the United States and Israel of undermining international law and destabilising the Middle East through their military campaign against Iran, which he described as an “illegal, absurd and cruel war.”
The left-wing prime minister stated this during an address to Spain’s lower house on Wednesday.
Sánchez said the conflict, which began with surprise US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, was “the last thing the world needed.”
He warned that its consequences would be “far worse” than the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, with broader impacts on economic, social and environmental goals.
“They have undermined international law, destabilised the Middle East and buried Gaza under the rubble of oblivion,” Sánchez said. “And for what?”
The Spanish PM added that Iran’s new Supreme Leader was more hardline than his predecessor.
“Mojtaba Khamenei is an equally dictatorial and even more bloodthirsty tyrant than his father,” he said.
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His remarks came as the US-Israeli operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by Washington, entered its fourth week.
The strikes, launched during indirect nuclear negotiations, targeted Iranian military sites, air defences, nuclear infrastructure and leadership, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of other senior officials in the initial wave.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets, US bases and regional allies, triggering retaliatory action and regional disruptions, including a partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has driven up global energy and shipping costs.
Sánchez, a vocal critic of Israeli policy since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, has refused US requests to use Spanish military bases for operations against Iran.
He told lawmakers that “patriotism means opposing an illegal war that in no way benefits the interests of Spaniards,” and highlighted economic fallout, saying Spanish firms alone have lost more than €100 billion ($116 billion) in under a month.
The socialist prime minister framed his opposition as a defence of international norms rather than support for Tehran.
“This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq,” he said. “We are facing something far worse. Much worse.”
