‘Spain Is A Wasted Cause’: Trump Orders Complete Trade Cutoff, Declares Iran Deal Over At Fractured NATO Summit

4 min readJul 8, 2026 06:47 PM US President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade ties with Spain on Wednesday, accusing Madrid of failing to pull its weight in NATO, as he also declared talks with Iran effectively over and renewed his demand that the United States should control Greenland.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Ankara,  Trump said he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to look at ending trade with Spain, according to Reuters.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits,” he added.
The remarks came as NATO leaders sought to project unity on defence spending and continued support for Ukraine, but Trump’s comments instead exposed fresh divisions within the alliance. Reuters reported that European leaders had hoped the summit would showcase increased defence commitments after at least $50 billion in military initiatives were announced a day earlier.
Spain rejects Trump’s criticism
The latest comments add to growing tensions between Washington and Madrid. Spain has openly resed Trump’s calls for European allies to raise defence spending significantly and has also declined to allow the US to use Spanish airspace or military bases during its military campaign against Iran, Reuters reported.

Spanish Prime Miner Pedro Sanchez’s office sought to downplay Trump’s remarks, saying bilateral ties remained beneficial for both countries. Spanish Health Miner Monica Garcia, however, responded more sharply, saying Spain was “a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace” and accused Trump of confusing “diplomacy with bullying,” according to Reuters.
A NATO diplomat, quoted Reuters, said the alliance’s response to Trump’s criticism was to continue strengthening Europe’s contribution to NATO.Story continues below this ad
Trump says Iran talks are ‘over’
Trump also indicated that the interim understanding between Washington and Tehran had effectively collapsed following fresh US military strikes on Iranian targets and Washington’s decision to revoke a licence allowing Iran to sell oil.
Asked whether the interim arrangement with Iran remained in force, Trump said, “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.”
He further described Iran’s leadership in harsh terms, calling them “sick people” and saying further negotiations would be “a waste of time,” Reuters reported.
Rutte defended the latest US military action, saying Washington’s response was necessary after what he described as Iranian violations of the ceasefire. He also credited Trump with pushing European allies to increase defence spending, calling it “a huge win” for NATO, according to Reuters.Story continues below this ad
Greenland claim sparks Danish response
Trump also revived his long-standing demand that the United States should control Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory that has become strategically important due to its location in the Arctic.
“Greenland is very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark,” Trump said, while also referring to Denmark’s occupation Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
The comments prompted an immediate response from Danish Prime Miner Mette Frederiksen, who rejected any suggestion that Greenland’s status was open for negotiation.

🇩🇰 Greenland ‘not for sale’, Danish PM says at NATO summit
Denmark’s Prime Miner Mette Frederiksen says that Greenland was “not for sale” following remarks President Donald Trump suggesting the territory should be controlled Washington and not Copenhagen. pic.twitter.com/rshD2hhZC7
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 8, 2026
“Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said, according to a report the AFP. She also reiterated that Denmark was prepared to defend all NATO territory, including Greenland.