Ankara — President Donald Trump threw a summit of Nato leaders into disarray on Wednesday as he demanded the US cut trade ties with Spain and made renewed claims on Greenland, irking another Nato ally, Denmark. Speaking in the Turkish capital, Ankara, Trump called Madrid a “terrible partner” in Nato as he railed against allies for not supporting the war on Iran. He ordered treasury secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with Spain. A source familiar with the talks later offered a more nuanced account, saying Trump had not repeated his criticisms behind closed doors and had instead stressed that he wanted the US to remain in Nato, telling allies: “We want to remain with you.” The White House did not immediately comment on his remarks. Trump’s public remarks, also declaring the fragile ceasefire with Iran to be over, overshadowed a summit that European leaders had hoped would project unity and support for Ukraine and look past a series of rows that have threatened to tear the military alliance apart.“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said. “By the way, I’d like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible partner in Nato. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits.”Trump spoke alongside Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who has assiduously tried to assuage his concerns over defence spending, Iran and Greenland, while lavishing praise on the president for bringing such issues to the fore. Trump’s public remarks also undercut the carefully crafted pre-summit messaging that European Nato countries had stepped up to the plate on military spending. Defence initiatives worth at least $50bn were unveiled on Tuesday.Read: Trump declares Iran truce dead after fresh attacks on US basesWashington and Madrid have been at loggerheads, with Spain explicitly rejecting Trump’s demands for European countries to sharply increase military spending and pay for their own defence. Madrid’s Socialist leadership has also refused to let the US use its airspace or bases on its territory for the Iran conflict.In response to Trump, the office of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was treating his statements as business as usual, adding that bilateral relations benefited both countries.Spanish health minister Monica Garcia was more blunt. “We are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace,” she said on X. “What’s terrible is confusing diplomacy with bullying.”Iran strikesThe US launched fresh military strikes on Iran and revoked a licence allowing Tehran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation. The moves dealt another blow to a fragile ceasefire in a conflict that remains deeply unpopular across Europe.The flare-up of hostilities pushed oil prices up sharply, with Brent crude futures leaping more than 5%, the most in a day since late May, to $78.48 a barrel. “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them,” Trump said when asked whether the interim accord with Iran — which envisaged hammering out a long-term peace deal by mid-August — was over. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people.”He said: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”Rutte defended the new US strikes and played down Trump’s disappointment with allies over the Iran war as “isolated cases”.“I think what you did last night was absolutely necessary. It was a very strong response,” Rutte told Trump. “When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react.”He also praised Trump for making European countries raise their game on defence spending: “It’s really important when it comes to Nato, what you have achieved, and this is a huge win.” Trump has accused European nations of failing to let US forces use their airspace and bases on their territories during the war. European officials have said they largely honoured their commitments to US forces, despite not having been consulted about a conflict that disrupted their economies.Trump also demanded that his country control Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, reviving an issue that has put severe strain on the alliance.“Greenland is very important for the US but it’s not important for Denmark,” he said. “In fact, when Denmark was overrun by the Nazis in less than one day — Hitler beat them out in one day, took over — they asked us to take care of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and then stupidly we gave it back.”Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland was not up for grabs. “We are ready to defend every inch of Nato, including our own territory,” she said.Reuters