Spain Rules Out Military Role in Strait of Hormuz, Urges Immediate End to the War

Spain announced on Monday that it will not join any military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, with Madrid saying it considers the offensive against Iran to be illegal, its defence and foreign ministers said.

The left-wing coalition government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has criticised the offensive and barred U.S. aircraft taking part in the operation from using jointly operated bases in southern Spain.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles rejected a request from U.S. President Donald Trump for Spanish military support to secure the strategic waterway — which Tehran has effectively blocked to some oil tanker traffic — and dismissed warnings of a “very bad future” for NATO allies who do not comply.

"Spain will never accept any stopgap measures, because the objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end now," Robles said.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the situation in the Strait is of grave concern to Europeans and argued that the European Union’s position should prioritise bringing the war to an end regardless of economic considerations.

"We mustn't do anything that would add even more tension or cause the situation to escalate further," Albares told reporters in Brussels.

Some EU members — including Germany, Italy and Greece — have also signalled they will not take part in military operations in the strait, while others, such as Denmark, have yet to decide.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Kevin Liffey)