Overview
- Sánchez hosts two days of left-leaning gatherings in Barcelona starting Friday, with Lula, Ramaphosa and Sheinbaum among leaders due to attend.
- He has led European pushback to the US‑Israeli war on Iran, denying US use of Spanish bases after which Trump threatened trade retaliation.
- He labeled Israel’s Gaza offensive a genocide and pressed to suspend parts of the EU‑Israel deal, a move that faces resistance from France, Italy and Germany.
- His break with Trump also includes refusing last year to raise NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP, highlighting a wider split over security policy.
- At home he remains divisive as probes touch relatives and ex-allies, yet polling shows most Spaniards oppose the Iran war and worry about rising fuel and prices linked to the conflict.