Madrid, Spain – Fields of purple flowers include crimson stigmas that make saffron, a vital spice in Spain’s nationwide dish, paella.
Saffron offers the rice-based dish its distinctive yellow color and earthy aroma.
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Although the central Spanish area of Castilla-La Mancha grows its personal crop, Spain relies upon largely on Iran for its provide.
This might now be below risk after the United States said in late August that it might launch an “financial onslaught” in opposition to Tehran’s commerce companions across the globe to cripple Iran financially. The United Arab Emirates additionally mentioned it might droop commerce relations with Iran.
Precisely how Washington would take measures in opposition to all of Iran’s commerce companions stays unclear, though on September 4 the US Treasury Division introduced sanctions on Turkiye’s Golden International Financial institution, which the US accuses of facilitating funds for Iran, CNBC reported.
“This risk from the USA could possibly be an issue for us. Our greatest provider by far is Iran. Then we promote it to markets everywhere in the world,” Jose Luis Guerrero, of CEAE, a Spanish saffron export firm that started in 1904, informed Al Jazeera. “We should fear about it when the US says what motion it’ll truly take.”
Maria Naranjo, director for agrifoods at ICEX, Spain’s state commerce and funding physique, mentioned Spain was a “notably vital” gateway of saffron into Europe. Two years in the past, Spain accounted for three-quarters of EU imports of saffron from Iran.
“This highlights the function performed by Spanish firms not solely as importers but in addition in processing, packaging, branding and distributing saffron to worldwide markets,” she informed Al Jazeera.
“In opposition to this background, any potential disruption to commerce flows with Iran wouldn’t essentially lead to a scarcity of saffron for Spanish customers or for its use in Spanish delicacies. The affect could possibly be extra vital for Spanish firms concerned in importing, processing, packaging and internationally distributing the product.”
Till the total particulars of US sanctions are identified, it won’t be doable to work out the affect on the Spanish saffron commerce, Naranjo mentioned.
“We nonetheless have saffron from Castilla-La Mancha. Paella will not be at risk,” she joked.
Analysts say the success of the US technique largely relies on China, the primary purchaser of Iranian oil and its main buying and selling companion.
“Those that stand with the USA will reap the rewards of our partnership,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has mentioned. “Those that tether themselves to the Iranian regime ought to anticipate to share within the isolation.”
Washington’s threats in opposition to Iran’s buying and selling companions have despatched alarm bells ringing.
Spain’s industrial hyperlinks with Iran are minor in contrast with international locations like Turkiye and Pakistan.
In 2025, Spanish firms exported merchandise price $143m to Iran and imported Iranian items price $141m – a complete of virtually 245 million euros ($285m) within the bilateral commerce of products, based on Spanish authorities figures.
Imports of saffron have been price $61m, greater than 40 % of all imports from Iran.
US-Spain relations, in the meantime, have been strained.
President Donald Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have beforehand clashed over defence spending amongst NATO member states.
In July, Trump threatened to chop off commerce relations with Spain, saying Madrid had been a “horrible companion in NATO”.
Nonetheless, the risk was not adopted via.
The US and Spain have additionally been at odds over Sanchez’s condemnation of the US-Israel war on Iran, which he mentioned was “unlawful”.
And whereas the Spanish prime minister condemned Hamas’s assault on southern Israel in 2023, he has additionally criticised Israel’s genocidal battle on Gaza.
However Vicente Roja, a paella chef from Valencia, the house of Spain’s signature dish, is unfazed.
“Nobody can contact our paella. It’s the essence of Spain. No matter occurs, we are going to get by.”
Spanish persons are famously pleased with paella, and new takes previously been adopted by light-hearted rebukes.
In 2022, the British grocery store Tesco touched a nerve when it dreamed up a paella sandwich. In response, Spain’s Civil Guard, which is generally busy catching criminals, marked World Paella Day.
“The paella sandwich for some is heresy, for others it slaughters good style and will even threaten well being,” it mentioned on social media, with smiley emojis.
In 2016, Jamie Oliver, the British tv chef, dedicated an analogous gastronomic offence when he instructed including chorizo to the dish. The seemingly innocent suggestion prompted claims that he was a “culinary terrorist”.
