Pedro Sanchez has once again blasted the war in Iran as ‘illegal’ during a brief chat with reporters in Brussels.
The Spanish prime minister is attending a meeting of the European Council amid the ongoing fall out from the conflict launched by the US and Israel in the Middle East.
The PSOE leader was defiant as he spoke to the media on Thursday.
He said: ‘Europe is based on the principle of multilateralism, so decisions taken multilaterally, not unilaterally, from international law, peace, respect of a peaceful coexistence between countries and socieites.
‘And this is what is once again being brought into question, in this case, in the war in Iran.
‘A war that the government of Spain has condemned from the first moment. We do not support it, we consider it illegal…
‘And unfortunately, it not only results in the loss of human life, in displaced people and refugees, but also, from the point of view of the economy, wellbeing, we are already starting to suffer.
‘In moments of turbulence, when there are lots of clouds and the people do not know where the world is heading, and there is an enormous amount of concern, I think it is vital is that political leaders and governments uphold our principles and values that have brought us here, with decades of peace, decades of prosperity.’
Sanchez’s defiant stance against the war is winning him support at home.
A new poll this week suggested he would remain as prime minister of Spain if an election were held tomorrow.
According to the latest survey from the CIS, the PSOE remains well ahead.
The Socialists now sit on 31.8% of the vote, while the PP has edged up to 23.3%, narrowing the gap to around eight points.
Meanwhile, hard-right party Vox has taken a noticeable knock, dropping more than two points in just a month – down to 16.6%.
The poll was carried out during a turbulent period, with the Iran conflict escalating, fuel prices rising, and Sanchez reviving the ‘No to the war’ message.
It also coincided with regional political campaigning, adding further volatility to voter sentiment.
Despite the shifting numbers, Sanchez remains the clear favourite to lead Spain.
He’s the preferred choice for 25.7% of voters, far ahead of PP leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo (9.8%) and Vox’s Santiago Abascal (9.4%).
