IRAN’s Revolutionary Guard is plastering photos of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on missiles fired at Israel, according to Iran’s state-controlled news agency.
A video shared on social media by Tasnim, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, shows a soldier attaching a rectangular poster bearing Sanchez’s photograph to what appears to be the surface of a warhead.
The poster also carries a thank-you message to the Spanish Prime Minister, written in both English and Persian, paraphrasing one of Sanchez’s quotes: “Of course, this war is not only illegal, but also inhuman. Thank you, Prime Minister.”
While Sanchez has not used these exact words, he has repeatedly condemned US-Israeli strikes as ‘unilateral’ and ‘illegal,’ adding that Spain’s stance on the conflict could be ‘summed up in four words: no to the war.’
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In the same Tasnim video, soldiers are seen affixing a separate thank-you message to ‘those who expressed sympathy in London for Trump’s war crimes in Iran.’
The message appears to reference a protest rally that took place in London on March 7, when thousands demonstrated against a joint US-Israeli strike on a school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed 175 people – including many children – on February 28.
The clip concludes with footage of a missile launch, as a voice in the background proclaims ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is great’ in Arabic).
Published on X (formerly Twitter) shortly before 8pm on Sunday, the video was accompanied by a stark post: “Inscriptions on missiles that will soon be launched toward the occupied territories.”
The footage drew sharp criticism from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which retweeted the post with pointed words for Sanchez.
“Pedro Sanchez – Iran’s mullah regime is thanking you by putting your words on the missiles it fires at civilians in Israel and the Arab world,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“How does it feel knowing your face and words are on these missiles? Keep in mind that Europe – including Spain – is within range of these missiles.”
The Spanish government has yet to comment on the exchange. However, on Thursday last week, Sanchez doubled down on his stance at a meeting in Brussels, insisting that Spain was ‘on the right side of history.’
Now entering its fourth week, the war in Iran began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes across the country, targeting the regime’s military facilities and killing the nation’s long-time leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated by targeting Israel, US bases across the Middle East and beyond, as well as refineries and gas fields across the Gulf.
Tehran has also effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for a fifth of the world’s oil, to all US allies – in a move that experts fear may soon cripple global economies.
The conflict has further strained tense US-Spain relations after the Spanish government said its bases at Rota and Moron, in Andalucia, could not be used by the US for strikes on Iran.
Trump lambasted Sanchez over the decision, threatening to cut off all trade with Spain – though he has yet to follow up on the announcement.
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