Spain permanently pulls ambassador to Israel over Iran strikes
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Spain permanently recalled its ambassador to Israel on Tuesday over his opposition to US-Israeli attacks on Iran, further escalating an already tense diplomatic rift between the two countries.
The Spanish government officially terminated the ambassador’s duties in its official newspaper and said that its embassy in Tel Aviv would now be headed by a chargé d’affaires indefinitely.
Madrid recalled its ambassador last September after Israel condemned Spain’s decision to prevent planes and ships carrying weapons to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the move as antisemitic at the time.
When a reporter asked Wednesday if Spain generally cooperates with the United States, President Donald Trump said, “No, they don’t. I don’t think they cooperate at all.”
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People walk past damaged buildings after an attack on a police station amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asian News Agency) via REUTERS)
“I think Spain is very bad,” the president said. “Very bad. Not good at all. We might cut off trade with Spain.”
“I don’t know what Spain is doing,” Trump continued. “They treated NATO very badly. They are protected, they do not want to pay their share. It has been like this for years.”
Trump added that the people of Spain are “great” but the leadership is “not that good.”
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
On Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., criticized Spain’s decision to permanently recall its ambassador to Israel as “hard for me to stomach.”
“Spain is a member of NATO, and the United States and Israel are conducting joint operations against the Iranian regime, which openly calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, launches attacks on the West, and seeks to purify Islam in its own image,” Graham wrote to X.
Spain has recalled its ambassador to Israel, the latest flare-up in acrimonious diplomatic relations between the two countries in recent years. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
The senator continued: “The problem is not the Jewish State, but the religious Nazi regime in Iran.” “I hope Spain’s actions do not encourage the survival of the cruel, fanatic regime in Iran that mistreats its own people.”
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Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated sharply since Israel launched military action against Gaza on October 7, 2023, in response to terrorist attacks by Hamas.
Israel also downgraded its diplomatic presence in Spain and placed its own embassy in Madrid under the chargé d’affaires after Spain recognized the Palestinian state last May.
