Spain says its relationship with the U.S. is fluid and normal, despite the clash over the bases

Madrid.- The Spanish Government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, assured this Tuesday that relations with the U.S. are "absolutely fluid and normal", despite Spain having prohibited U.S. forces from using its airspace and the Rota and Morón bases for military operations against Iran.

"We are a reliable partner," Elma Saiz insisted at a press conference after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Monday that his country would have to "review" the relationship with NATO when this war is over, due to the refusal of Spain and other countries, such as Italy, to allow it to use the bases. According to the Spanish Executive, a sign of good bilateral relations, in addition to governmental ones, is, for example, that Spain has five commercial offices in the United States and will open two more.

In any case, the spokesperson reiterated that Spain's place is "always" on the side of international law, which does not imply "in any way" the rupture of the transatlantic bond.

Saiz also said that the serious war crisis in the Middle East has crossed a new limit with the latest attacks in Lebanon, which, apart from causing deaths, injuries and millions of displaced civilians, has caused the death in less than 24 hours of three blue helmets in Lebanon, an "unjustifiable" aggression.

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In turn, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, stressed that Spain is an "absolutely essential" NATO ally and committed to Euro-Atlantic security, as well as to international law and the United Nations. In statements to Televisión Española, he assured that he does not fear "absolutely anything" that there may be reprisals from the US: "How is a country going to fear something for defending international law and the principles of the UN!", argued Albares. On the other hand, the conservative opposition warned this Tuesday that Spain cannot afford to start an international conflict with the United States because of the "antics" of the Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, whom they accused of putting national security at risk. In this context, the parliamentary spokesperson for the right-wing Popular Party, Ester Muñoz, denounced in a press conference the "irresponsibility" of the Government in its relations with the administration of President Donald Trump.