Washington DC [US], March 5 (ANI): The White House claimed that Spain has agreed to cooperate with US military operations against Iran after President Donald Trump threatened financial penalties; however, Madrid has rejected the US assertion.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday (local time) said that Spain 'agreed to cooperate with the US military.'

'With respect to Spain, I think they heard the President's message yesterday loud and clear, and it's my understanding, over the past several hours, they've agreed to cooperate with the US military,' said Leavitt.

She further stated that the US military 'is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain' and that Trump 'expects all Europe, all of our European allies, of course, to cooperate,' adding that the Iranian regime also posed a threat to European countries.

However, Spain rejected the assertion. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, in a local radio interview, denied Leavitt's account. 'Our position has not changed,' Albares said.

The contradiction underscores deepening tensions between Washington and Madrid, particularly as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has emerged as one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Trump's approach to the conflict involving Iran, CNN reported

Sanchez has refused to involve Spain in the war, even after Trump's threat of trade reprisals. 'We're not going to be complicit in something that's bad for the world, nor contrary to our values and interests simply to avoid reprisals from someone,' Sanchez said in a televised address on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The White House has maintained that coordination is ongoing and has indicated that broader European cooperation is expected amid escalating tensions with Iran.

Earlier in the same press conference, the White House Press Secretary said that the 'rogue Iranian terrorist' regime is being 'absolutely crushed' under Operation Epic Fury, as President Donald Trump has set clear objectives to raze Tehran's missile industry and annihilate its navy.

She said, 'At the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump laid out clear objectives to the American people on what the US military seeks to accomplish through these major combat operations, which were to destroy the regime's deadly ballistic missiles and completely raze their missile industry to the ground and annihilate the Iranian regime's navy.'

The White House Press Secretary said that the US destroyed more than 20 Iranian ships so far, including their top submarine, on Tuesday night.

'So far, we have destroyed more than 20 Iranian ships, including their top submarine last night, using a torpedo for the first time since World War II. There is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman. Operation Epic Fury will ensure the regime's terrorist proxies in the region can no longer destabilise the region or the free world and attack our armed forces.'

The conflict in the Middle East has entered its sixth day following the February 28 US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other key figures. In retaliation, Tehran has responded with counter-strikes targeting American military bases in Gulf nations and other Israeli assets across the region. (ANI)