Newsletters
Stickers bearing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's anti-war remarks have been affixed to Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, according to images circulating on Iranian media, in a striking piece of wartime messaging that underscores how Madrid's vocal opposition to the conflict has resonated far beyond Europe.
The stickers, written in both English and Farsi, carry a quote attributed to Sanchez reading: "Of course, this war is not only illegal, but also inhuman. Thank you, Prime Minister."
The images, reported by Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency, show the adhesive labels placed directly onto the bodies of missiles launched from Iranian territory toward Israel.
The practice of inscribing messages on munitions is not new in this conflict.
Earlier this month, Iranian state television broadcast images of soldiers writing messages on missiles declaring they would continue strikes until the last American soldier leaves the Middle East.
The use of Sanchez's words on Iranian weaponry highlights the unusual position the Spanish prime minister has carved out since the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran began on February 28.
Sanchez, one of the few left-wing leaders in Europe to condemn the strikes as "unjustifiable" and "dangerous," declared in a televised nationwide address that Spain's position was "no to the war."
His government has gone further than rhetoric. Madrid denied U.S. forces permission to use the jointly operated Rota naval base and Moron air base in southern Spain for operations against Iran, a decision that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten to sever all trade ties with Spain.
At a European Union summit in Brussels last week, Sanchez reiterated his stance bluntly. "We are against this war because it is illegal," he told reporters, adding that it was causing significant damage to civilians, increasing displacement, and producing economic consequences already being felt across the developing world.
In a separate speech, he invoked the 2003 Iraq War, saying that another U.S. administration had dragged Europe into a Middle Eastern conflict two decades ago, and declared: "No to the illusion that we can solve the world's problems with bombs."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
