Madrid said it will not be a "vassal" of the United States

"We will not be anyone's vassal. We will not tolerate any threats, and we will defend our values," she said. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The Élysée Palace said the French leader "spoke to the Spanish Prime Minister to express France's European solidarity with him in connection with the recent threats of economic pressure that have been made against Spain." The Spanish government said on March 2 that it would not allow the US military to use Spanish bases for strikes on Iran. US President Donald Trump said on March 3 at the White House that the actions of the Spanish leadership are terrible, including because they refuse to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. He said the US would stop trading with Spain. He also said that the US military could fly to Spain and use NATO bases there.