Spain permanently pulls ambassador from Israel amid Iran war

Spain permanently pulled its ambassador to Israel on Tuesday over its opposition to the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, ratcheting up an already tense diplomatic rift between the two countries.

The Spanish government formally terminated the ambassador's post in its official gazette and said its embassy in Tel Aviv will now be led by a chargé d'affaires indefinitely.

Madrid had recalled its ambassador last September after Israel condemned Spain's decision to block aircraft and ships carrying weapons to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the move antisemitic at the time.

When a reporter on Wednesday asked whether Spain, in general, was cooperating with the U.S., President Donald Trump replied, "No, they're not. I think they're not cooperating at all."

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"Spain, I think they've been very bad," the president said. "Very bad. Not good at all. We may cut off trade with Spain."

"I don't know what Spain is doing," Trump continued. "They've been very bad to NATO. They get protected, they don't want to pay their fair share. And they've been that way for many years."

Trump added that the people of Spain "are fantastic," whereas the leadership is "not so good."

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Wednesday criticized Spain's decision to recall its ambassador to Israel permanently as "hard for me to absorb."

"Spain is a member of NATO, and the United States and Israel are in joint operations against the Iranian regime who openly calls for the destruction of the Jewish State, attacks against the West, and seeks to purify Islam in its own image," Graham wrote on X.

"The religious Nazi regime in Iran is the problem, not the Jewish State," the senator continued. "I hope Spain's actions will not encourage the tyrannical, fanatical regime in Iran - that abuses its own people - to hang on."

Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated sharply since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.

Israel also downgraded its diplomatic presence in Spain last May after Spain recognized a Palestinian state, placing its own embassy in Madrid under a chargé d'affaires.