Institutional statement by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to assess the latest international events

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

"Good morning, dear compatriots.

I am addressing you today to inform you about the crisis that has erupted in the Middle East, the position of the Government of Spain, and the actions we are taking.

As you know, last Saturday the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which in turn responded by indiscriminately bombing nine countries in the region and a British base located in a European state, in Cyprus.

First and foremost, I want to express the solidarity of the Spanish people with the countries illegally attacked by the Iranian regime.

Since then, hostilities have continued, if not intensified, causing hundreds of deaths in homes, schools, and hospitals. There has also been a collapse of international stock markets and disruption to air traffic and the Strait of Hormuz, through which, until very recently, 20% of the world's gas and oil transited.

No one knows for sure what will happen now. Even the objectives of those who launched the first attack are unclear.

But we must be prepared, as the promoters say, for the possibility that this will be a long war, with numerous casualties and, therefore, with serious consequences also on a global scale in economic terms.

The Government of Spain's position on this situation is clear and consistent. It is the same position we have maintained in Ukraine and also in Gaza. First, no to the breakdown of international law that protects us all, especially the most vulnerable, the civilian population. Second, no to assuming that the world can only solve its problems through conflict, through bombs. And finally, no to repeating the mistakes of the past.

In short, the Spanish government's position can be summed up in four words: no to war.

The world, Europe, and Spain have been here before. Twenty-three years ago, another US administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East. A war that, in theory, was said to be waged to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, bring democracy, and guarantee global security, but which, in reality, seen in retrospect, produced the opposite effect. It unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity that our continent has suffered since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Iraq war led to a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a serious migration crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, and a general increase in energy prices and, therefore, also in the cost of living. That was the gift the Azores trio gave to Europeans at that time. A more insecure world and a worse life.

It is true that it is still too early to know if the war in Iran will have similar consequences to that of Iraq. Whether it will serve to bring down the terrible regime of the ayatollahs in Iran or to stabilise the region.

What we do know is that it will not produce a fairer international order, nor will it produce higher wages, better public services, or a healthier environment. In fact, what we can foresee at the moment is more economic uncertainty, increases in the price of oil and gas.

That is why we in Spain are against this disaster, because we understand that Governments are here to improve people's lives, to provide solutions to problems, not to worsen them.

And it is absolutely unacceptable that those leaders who are incapable of fulfilling this duty use the smokescreen of war to hide their failure and, in the process, line the pockets of a select few - the same ones as always. The only ones who profit when the world stops building hospitals and starts building missiles.

Faced with this situation, the progressive coalition government will do the same as it has done in other conflicts and international crises.

First and foremost, we are assisting the Spanish men and women who are in the Middle East and we will help them return to our country. If that, of course, is their wish. The foreign service and the military are working day and night to organise evacuation operations.

It is clear that these operations are very delicate because the region's airspace is unsafe and its airport network has been severely damaged by attacks. But our compatriots can rest assured that we will protect them and bring them home.

Secondly, the Government of Spain is studying scenarios and possible measures to help households, workers, businesses, and the self-employed, thereby mitigating the economic impacts of this conflict, should it be necessary.

Thanks to the dynamism of our economy and the responsible fiscal policy of the Government, Spain currently has the necessary resources to face this crisis once again.

We have the capacity, as well as the political will, and we will do so hand in hand with social partners, as we did during the pandemic, the energy crisis, and, more recently, the tariff crisis.

Thirdly, we will collaborate, as we always have, with all the countries in the region that advocate for peace and compliance with international law, which are two sides of the same coin, supporting them with the diplomatic and material resources they require.

We will work with our European allies on a coordinated and truly effective response. And we will continue working to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and Palestine, two places that deserve not to be forgotten.

Finally, the Government will continue demanding a cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic resolution to this war. And I want to make this clear, because yes, the right word is "demand". Because Spain is a full member of the European Union, NATO and the international community. And because this crisis also affects us, Europeans, and consequently, Spaniards.

And that is why we must demand the full resolve of the United States, Iran, and Israel to stop before it is too late.

I have said it many times, and I repeat it now: one illegality cannot be met with another, because that is how humanity's great disasters begin.

Let us recall how, before the start of the First World War in the 20th century, in August 1914, someone asked the then Chancellor of Germany how the First World War had begun. And he replied, shrugging his shoulders and saying verbatim: "I wish I knew. I wish I knew.

All too often, great wars erupt due to a chain of events that spiral out of control, caused by miscalculations, technical failures, or unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, we must learn from history and cannot play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions of people.

The powers involved in this conflict must immediately cease hostilities and commit to dialogue and diplomacy.

And the rest of us must act consistently, upholding now the same values we uphold when we speak of Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, or Greenland.

Because the question is not whether or not we are in favour of the ayatollahs. No one is. Certainly not the Spanish people, and certainly not the Spanish government.

The question, however, is whether or not we stand on the side of international law and, therefore, on the side of peace.

The Spanish people always condemned Saddam Hussein's dictatorship in Iraq, but this did not lead them to support the Iraq War, because it was illegal, unjust, and failed to provide a real solution to almost any of the problems it purported to address.

Similarly, we condemn the Iranian regime, which represses and vilely murders its citizens, particularly women.

But at the same time, we reject this conflict and call for a diplomatic and political solution.

Some will accuse us of being naive for doing so, but what is naive is thinking that violence is the solution. It is naive to believe that democracies or respect between nations can spring from ruins. Or to think that practising blind and servile obedience is a form of leadership.

On the contrary, I believe this position is not at all naive; it is coherent, and therefore, we will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and also contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of reprisals from someone.

Because we have absolute confidence in the economic, institutional, and I would even say moral strength of our country. And because at times like these we feel prouder than ever to be Spanish.

We are aware of the difficulties, but we also know that the future is not written, that the spiral of violence that many already take for granted is absolutely avoidable, and that humanity can still leave behind this fundamentalism of the ayatollahs and also the misery of war.

Some will say that we are alone in this hope, but that is not true either. The Government of Spain stands with those it needs to stand with. It stands with the values that our parents and grandparents enshrined in our Constitution. Spain stands with the founding principles of the European Union. It stands with the Charter of the United Nations. It stands with international law and therefore with peace and peaceful coexistence between countries.

We also stand with many other governments that share our views, and with millions of citizens throughout Europe, North America, and the Middle East who, for the future, do not want more war or uncertainty, but more peace and prosperity.

Because the former only benefits a few.

And the latter benefits us all.

Thank you very much."

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Original speech in Spanish

Non official translation