Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s anti-war remarks amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran are now front and center. On Monday, Turkiye Today reported that the Islamic Republic used Sanchez’s message and attached it to rockets aimed at Israel.
Stickers with Sanchez’s notes, in both English and Persian, read: “Of course this war is not only illegal, but also inhumane. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Iran uses missiles for messages
Sanchez’s remarks highlight how Spain’s vocal opposition to the war in the Middle East is resonating far beyond Europe’s borders. Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that self-adhesive labels were placed on missiles fired from Tehran to Tel Aviv.
Since the beginning of the conflict in late February, the Iranian military has been known to write messages on ammunition. According to Turkiye Today, Tehran state television showed images of soldiers writing messages on missiles. Iran’s military said it would continue its attacks “until the last American soldier leaves the Middle East.”
Sanchez emerges as a prominent Western critic
Reports suggest the leftist Spanish leader’s use of the message about Iran’s munitions underscores the unusual position he has carved out for himself since the start of the conflict.
In a nationally televised address, the European leader condemned the strikes as “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” and said his country’s stance was “no to war”.
But Sanchez’s government has gone beyond rhetoric. Madrid denied the US military permission to use the jointly operated Rota naval base and Moron air base in the south of the country for its operations against Iran. The decision prompted US President Donald Trump to threaten to cut trade ties with Spain.
Sanchez attended the European Union summit in Brussels last week, where he reiterated his position. Addressing journalists, he said that Spain is against this war because it is illegal. He added that it causes significant damage to civilians, has economic consequences that are felt around the world, and also increases displacement.
In another speech, Sánchez referred to the 2003 war in Iraq and said that two decades ago another US administration dragged Europe into the Middle East conflict, adding: “No illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs.”
Europe refuses to intervene in the war
But Sánchez is not the only person who has denied meddling in Trump’s war on Iran. Last week, foreign ministers from the European Union’s 27 countries met in Brussels to discuss Trump’s appeal to the bloc as he sought help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Several of the bloc’s leaders decided in a closed-door meeting that this was a Washington problem that needed to be addressed.
Luxembourg’s deputy prime minister has rebuked the Trump administration for its decision to go to war, saying his country will not give in to blackmail from Washington.
The bloc made it clear that this was not a “European war” even though its interests were at stake, which did not sit well with Trump, who criticized the decision and later said that the US did not need help from its allies.
