Spain’s Pedro Sanchez tested amid Trump feud, critics say stance is smokescreen

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has tried to position himself as Europe’s counterweight to President Donald Trump, but his motives are being questioned by critics.

Sánchez, who is hosting a conference of left-wing leaders from around the world in Barcelona this weekend, rejected Madrid’s increased spending in NATO while positioning Spain against the Trump administration on several key policy issues.

More recently, the Spanish politician has taken a belligerent stance against the US and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, banning the US from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action, denouncing the campaign as illegal while remaining silent on the regime’s killing of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear-grade enriched uranium.

NATO CHIEF SAYS ALLIES CAN ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF “UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCY” AGAINST US

President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 11, 2018, during Trump’s first term. (François Lenoir/Reuters)

Days after the start of the war with Iran, Sánchez said: “We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values ​​and our interests, just for fear of retaliation from someone,” Sánchez said, using the slogan “No to war,” the Associated Press reported.

On Saturday, Trump took aim at Sanchez’s policies in a Truth Social article, asking: “Has anyone seen how bad Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely terrible. Sad to see!!!”

In March, Trump said he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “to sever all relations with Spain.”

WALZ RIPS TRUMP, VANCE IN EUROPE, SAYS ‘WEAK-MINDED, TRIG-HAPPY PRESIDENT’ HAS NO EXIT PLAN FOR IRAN

Critics accuse Sanchez, already well known for his fiercely anti-Israeli views, of increasing his public statements to ease pressure on him over a series of corruption scandals involving members of his family, which he and his supporters have denied.

TOPSHOT – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech to announce that Spain will recognize Palestine as a state on May 28, at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on May 22, 2024. “Next Tuesday, May 28, the Spanish cabinet will approve the recognition of the Palestinian state,” he said, adding that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was putting the two-state solution “in danger” with his policy of “pain and destruction” in the Gaza Strip. (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)

Javier Negre, a conservative Spanish journalist and owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus, told Fox News Digital. “President Pedro Sánchez’s position against President Donald Trump is neither improvised nor based on beliefs. It is pure election marketing. He has realized that by taking on the most powerful president in the world and having Trump talk about him, he achieves two things: First, he positions himself in the media as the figurehead of the global left and globalism against the new right.”

Negre said Sánchez’s position also “diverts attention from the corruption scandals that led to investigations involving his wife and brother and the imprisonment of his relatives.”

A Madrid judge on Monday formally charged Sánchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, with corruption, creating a political storm for the prime minister, who is already grappling with another corruption case involving his brother.

TRUMP SAYS HE MAY HAVE ‘FORCED ISRAEL’S HAND’ IN IRAN STRIKE DECISION AS CRITICS QUESTION WAR POWERS

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and his wife Begona Gomez attend a speech in Beijing, China, April 13, 2026. (Andrés Martínez Casares/Pool via Reuters)

Gómez’s 39-page indictment follows a two-year investigation accusing him of embezzlement, influence peddling in his position at the Complutense University of Madrid, corruption in business dealings and misuse of funds to promote his personal interests. She has denied all accusations while her husband says the allegations are an attempt by right-wing parties to undermine his coalition.

The accusations came as the couple made a state visit to China last week, during which Sanchez said: “I find it very difficult to find other interlocutors, beyond China, who can resolve this situation in Iran and in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Associated Press reported.

The complaint against Gomez was filed by the anti-corruption group Manos Limpias.

The prime minister’s family scandals also include his brother, David Sánchez, who was embroiled in another influence-peddling scandal for accepting a tailor-made position in a regional government in 2017, just after the Spanish leader became secretary general of Spain’s Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).

From 2018 to 2024, Sanchez’s government reportedly authorized exports of more than 6 million euros ($7.2 million) of dual-technology equipment to Iran. Although not a significant sum, the move, critics say, would contravene UN-approved sanctions and embargoes against Iran. Spanish opposition politician Santiago Abascal denounced Sanchez to the Spanish Congress, accusing him of selling detonators and explosives to Iran.

Spaniards protesting against Israel. Unions have called for a day of general strike in solidarity with the Palestinians and Lebanon, demanding that the Spanish government sever relations with Israel. September 2024. (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Following these accusations, the Israeli Shurat Hadin Legal Center filed a complaint on Friday with the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Spanish prime minister, claiming that Spain had aided the Ayatollah regime by transferring explosives-related technologies to the tune of approximately $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025 despite international sanctions against the regime for supporting terrorism.

NATO heavyweights balk at Hormuz mission as Trump warns alliance in danger

In March, the Iranian regime allegedly stuck a thank you note with a photo of Spain’s Sanchez to a missile fired against Israel, according to footage from Iran-controlled Press TV obtained by the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI).

The Spanish leader has also been criticized for his anti-Israel views and his war in Gaza after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out the worst attack in the Jewish state’s history, killing 1,195 people and kidnapping 251 nationals and foreigners in 2023.

Sanchez has repeatedly called Israel a genocidal state, downgraded Spain’s diplomatic relations with Jerusalem, imposed a total arms embargo and sanctions on the Jewish state, recognized a Palestinian state, despite widespread opposition, and, along with Belgium, received praise from Hamas for its “clear and bold stance regarding the Gaza war” since the conflict began.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 21, 2024. European Union leaders are meeting to consider new ways to help boost arms and munitions production for Ukraine. The leaders will also discuss the war in Gaza at Thursday’s summit, amid deep concerns over Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive in the town of Rafah.

Although he is still popular among the left, the Spanish politician has seen a steady decline in popularity in recent months, with 61% of Spaniards having an unfavorable opinion of their prime minister, according to a March YouGov poll – his lowest approval rating since he took office in 2018.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has contacted La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister’s office) and the Spanish Foreign Minister to request an interview or official comment regarding Sánchez’s diplomatic positions regarding wars in the Middle East, alleged technology sales to Iran, US forces’ use of NATO-built bases on Spanish territory, and relations with the White House.

Spanish authorities told Fox News Digital that “the prime minister was not giving new interviews due to conflicts in his schedule” and that information regarding the prime minister’s positions “could be found in his numerous public statements in recent days.”