One month has passed since the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, which ended with the death of the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and which have caused a global economic crisis, with fuel prices skyrocketing and a package of 80 measures approved by the Spanish Executive that, with its ‘no to war’, has become the European benchmark against Donald Trump.
The barrel of Brent oil, the reference for Europe, is 5% more expensive than at the beginning of the conflict, rising to 112 dollars. While the Spanish Stock Market has dropped 8.49% this month, a capitalization loss of 79,317 million euros.
From the first moment, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, rejected the attacks, arguing that they were only going to serve to generate a “more uncertain and hostile international order” and, through a publication in X, he demanded “full respect for international law.”
The ‘no to war’ has become a global reference
During the four weeks of the conflict, Sánchez has maintained this position and has recovered the ‘no to war’ of the early 2000s, when Spain was involved in the Iraq war. A position that, at first, was only defended by Spain and that was gradually joined by others such as France, Portugal and the president of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen.
As it seems that the conflict has no end in sight and due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 30% of the world’s oil and a fifth of liquefied natural gas passes, the consequences on citizens’ pockets have been noticeable from the first moment, especially in the price of gasoline and diesel, but also in other sectors.
For this reason, the Government convened an Extraordinary Council of Ministers – marked by Sumar’s semi-institution – after which it approved a royal decree of 80 measures valued at 5,000 million euros. These include tax reductions on electricity, gas and fuel (from 21% VAT to 10%), as well as discounts for vulnerable groups and direct aid for the most affected sectors, among others.
Trump’s change of position and his distance from Israel
For his part, Donald Trump has made a change in his policy and has opted to reach an agreement to end the war. On April 6, if this pact is not reached and if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the US will attack the country’s power plants. According to Trump, his country is holding “very solid conversations” with Iran, something that this country has denied.
However, countries such as Pakistan, Oman and Turkey, usual mediators between Washington and Tehran, have confirmed the existence of indirect contacts, as well as a proposal for a 15-point plan to end the war. It was the United States special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who confirmed this plan that “constitutes the framework for a peace agreement.”
As for Israel, it is going its own way in the offensive and these four weeks have shown that there are differences with the American strategy, to the point that the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has warned that Tel Aviv will “intensify and expand” its attacks against Iran.
At the moment, other countries have also been involved in the conflict, since Iran, in retaliation for the attacks, bombed US and allied bases in Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus. It should be remembered that the attack against the latter caused Spain to send the frigate Cristóbal Colón to support its defense as a member of NATO.
