Israeli legal org files ICC suit against Spanish PM over Iran exports

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, April 14, 2026. (AP/Ng Han Guan)
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, April 14, 2026. (AP/Ng Han Guan)

An Israeli advocacy NGO says it has asked the International Criminal Court to consider legal action against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for allegedly “aiding war crimes” through exports to Iran.

The complaint comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat between the two nations, which began with the start of the Gaza war in October 2023 and worsened after Madrid recognized a Palestinian state a year later.

Filed by Shurat HaDin, which has taken legal action worldwide against what it calls “Israel’s enemies,” the lawsuit accuses Spain of providing “components required by the regime in Tehran and its proxies for military purposes.”

In a filing submitted under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, it alleges that Spain approved the export of about 1.3 million euros’ worth of so-called dual-use products that could be used in detonators and other explosive-related applications.

“These materials are not innocent industrial products, but critical components that enable explosive devices to function, and they were transferred in circumstances where their use for attacks against civilians was foreseeable and reasonable,” Shurat HaDin says in a statement.

Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Sanchez’s unrelenting criticism.

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