'We're facing something worse' - Sanchez urges against 'repeat' of Iraq war, cites looming economic and security crisis

"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended his decision to keep Madrid out of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on Wednesday, describing the attacks on Iran as 'illegal' and warning against a 'repeat' of the Iraq war. "Iran, ladies and gentlemen, is a country twice as populous as Iraq and with an impact on the global economy five times greater. A country that has more regular soldiers, ladies and gentlemen, than Germany, France and Italy combined," Sanchez stated, speaking at the lower house. "In short, Iran is a military power and has, by the way, been preparing for 40 years for a war like this. What I want to tell you with all of this is that we are not facing the same scenario as in the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something worse," he stressed. Sanchez warned that if the war continues, it could lead to a global economic and security crisis far greater than that of the 2003 Iraq war. "It may be that this disaster in Iran ends soon or the nightmare of Iraq repeats itself, but this time multiplied by N. And that the world, Europe, and therefore Spain, suffer the economic consequences," he said The prime minister reaffirmed his refusal to allow Washington to use Spanish bases in the region, citing Madrid’s involvement in the 2003 Iraq War under Jose Maria Aznar - a decision he said led to the deaths of more than 150 Spaniards. "Less than six percent of Spaniards wanted Spain to join the conflict, and the then Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, was perfectly aware of it, but he didn't care. He dragged us into that madness anyway because he wanted to feel important," Sanchez claimed. "He wanted the President of the United States, George Bush, to invite him for a cigar so he could put his feet on the table - a war in exchange for ego. The dignity of an entire country in exchange for that photo. What came afterward we know well," he continued. Sanchez also criticised his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging that his "objective is to repeat in Lebanon the same destruction and suffering as that committed in Gaza." Tensions escalated in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched a joint operation against Iranian targets on February 28 amid diplomatic talks aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and US military positions in the region, with explosions reported across Gulf countries. Iran confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes on the first day of the conflict. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since assumed leadership of the country. The fighting has drawn in Lebanon's Hezbollah. The Israeli military has since increased troop deployments along the border and launched 'targeted' raids against Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons caches."

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