Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called for reforms to the United Nations system, including eliminating veto power in the Security Council to make it more representative.
“We must end the right of veto in the United Nations,” he said during an interview published by Spanish digital newspaper El Diario.
The prime minister said it was “curious” that Russia and the United States remained permanent members of the Security Council while, in his view, both countries were “bringing a lot of instability to the world with the wars in Ukraine and also in Iran”.
He said reform should expand representation to major global actors, including India, African nations, China and Brazil, to make the UN system more representative.
Sanchez defended Madrid’s opposition to the war involving Iran, saying the government’s “no to war” stance was based on principles and respect for international law.
He said Spain’s position reflected a consistent foreign policy approach and had resonated beyond the country.
“When we said ‘no to war’, there was a wave of pride in being Spanish not only within our country, but also among many societies across the world,” he said.
Sanchez rejected criticism from opposition parties who accused his government of taking an electoral stance against the conflict.
“This war was not provoked by Spain. It was a war driven unilaterally by two nations,” he said. “We are not going to resolve the situation of instability in the Middle East with such a flagrant illegality.” He also dismissed concerns about potential US retaliation for Spain’s refusal to support the conflict.
“Being an ally of the US does not mean saying yes to everything,” Sanchez said, stressing that defending international law had guided Spain’s position in recent conflicts, including Ukraine and Gaza.
The Spanish leader also argued that Europe must continue defending a rules-based international order.
“The world is changing, but the values and principles of the European Union should not change,” he said.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the war in Iran must be stopped before the whole Middle East region is “thrown into the fire”, adding that diplomacy must be given a chance.
“This war must be stopped before it grows and the region as a whole is thrown into the fire. If diplomacy is given a chance, it is very possible to achieve this,” Erdogan told lawmakers in parliament.
Separately, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday that her country will not participate in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, and is instead seeking to help with a diplomatic resolution, according to a Bloomberg report.
“Italy isn’t taking part and won’t take part” in the ongoing war in Iran, Meloni told lawmakers on Wednesday, saying the expanding conflict is part of a broader “crisis of international law.” She said the Iran crisis was one of the most complex moments in recent history, and called on the opposition to rally with the government in defence of Italian interests.