OVIEDO, Spain

Spain is championing de-escalation, negotiation, and international law in the face of the Iran conflict, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Tuesday, rejecting criticism from Israel.

Speaking to reporters, Albares said US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran had opened up “a new cycle of violence, conflict and instability” in the Middle East, warning of unpredictable consequences.

“We cannot resign ourselves to war becoming the natural way to establish a balance of power in the Middle East,” he said.

Albares added that Spain is urging the EU to seek “balance and reason” in the conflict.

“Violence never brings peace, stability, or democracy. It brings more violence and chaos,” he added, also condemning Iran’s attacks in the region.

Albares rejected Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s accusation that Spain is “standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

“His position seems absurd and ridiculous,” Albares said. “Spain’s foreign policy is coherent. We defend peace, global stability, international law and the UN Charter – in Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran,” he added, listing a number of global hot spots.

'We led an immense majority that later joined us'

Responding to suggestions that Spain could be isolated in its criticism of the Iran war within the EU, Albares said similar claims were made when Madrid criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza and recognized Palestine statehood in May 2024.

“When they said we were alone, we were leading an immense majority that later joined us,” he said, adding that the government’s stance reflects “the overwhelming majority of Spaniards and many countries around the world.”

Albares added that although Spain will not allow its military bases, jointly operated with the United States but under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks on Iran, it remains a committed NATO ally.

“The bases are under Spanish sovereignty within the framework of a bilateral treaty with the United States,” he said, adding there was “nothing strange or surprising” about Madrid’s position and that no consequences were expected.

He underlined that Spain’s commitment to NATO and Euro-Atlantic defense remains “without a doubt,” citing deployments in the Baltic states, Lebanon under a UN mission, and Iraq.

More than 30,000 Spaniards are currently in the region, he said, calling their safety an “absolute priority.”

Evacuations are underway, including 175 people flying from Abu Dhabi, with further flights planned from the United Arab Emirates and Istanbul today.