Science4Peace: Open Letter: Support Spain’s Stand Against War with Iran
Friday, 13. March 2026 11:06
Dear Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez,
Dear Members of the Spanish Government,
Dear Representatives of the Governments and Institutions of Europe,
We wish to express our strong support for the position taken by the Spanish government in firmly rejecting a war against Iran and in refusing to allow Spanish territory to be used for such a military escalation.
At a time of rising international tensions, when a military confrontation risks spreading across the Middle East and further destabilizing the international order, Spain is sending an important signal: a war without international legitimacy must not receive support.
At the same time, Spain has made clear that rejecting war does not in any way imply support for the policies of the Iranian regime. The repression of civil society, serious human rights violations, and destabilizing activities in the region give rise to grave concern. It is therefore both possible and necessary to clearly criticize and oppose these policies while rejecting a military intervention that would further escalate violence and undermine international law. Such a war would bring neither democracy nor security, stability, or justice to the region.
We particularly welcome the decision of the Spanish government not to authorize the use of the U.S. military bases in Rota and Morón for attacks against Iran. Although these bases are jointly operated with the United States, they remain under Spanish sovereignty and must not be used for military actions that contradict the principles of the Charter of the United Nations or contribute to further escalation. This decision demonstrates that governments can exercise their sovereign responsibility even under international pressure.
The position of your government builds on a strong democratic tradition within Spanish civil society: the clear message “No a la guerra” — No to war. This message became especially visible during the massive protests against the Iraq War in 2003, when millions of people in Spain took to the streets to oppose a military intervention without international legitimacy. Today, this message resonates far beyond Spain.
The Science4Peace Forum therefore calls on other European governments, as well as representatives from academia, civil society, and politics across Europe, to support this position and to follow Spain’s example:
- to refuse participation in the war and oppose further escalation;
- to deny the use of their territory, airspace, and military bases for offensive operations related to this conflict;
- to work within the European Union and the United Nations toward de-escalation and the resumption of diplomatic negotiations;
- to reaffirm that respect for international law is the indispensable foundation of responsible security policy.
Europe should not become a logistical platform for the expansion of war. Instead, it should play a constructive role in promoting diplomacy, restraint, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Spain’s decision shows that even in times of great international tension it is possible to resist pressure toward escalation and to stand firmly for diplomacy, international law, and peace.
At this dangerous moment in international politics, such a position is of particular importance.
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First Signatures
(the affiliations are given for identification only, and do not imply endorsement by the institutions):
People
Prof Michael Staack – Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg (Emeritus)
Prof August Pradetto – Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg (Emeritus)
Prof Johannes Varwick – University of Halle-Wittenberg
Prof Jürgen Scheffran – University of Hamburg (Emeritus)
Dr Hannes Jung – DESY; University of Antwerp (Emeritus); Chair Science4Peace
Dr Hans von Sponeck – Former UN Assistant Secretary-General
Malte Albrecht – Chair NatWiss
Reiner Braun – Board Member, International Peace Bureau
Dr Sonja Brentjes – previously Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Dr Lars Pohlmeier – IPPNW Deutschland (Vorsitzender)
Dr Angelika Claußen – IPPNW Deutschland (Vorsitzende)
Susanne Grabenhorst – IPPNW Deutschland (Vorstandsmitglied)
Dr Uwe Trieschmann – IPPNW Deutschland (Vorstandsmitglied)
Dr Christoph Dembowski – IPPNW Deutschland (Vorstandsmitglied)
Dr Alexander Glazov – DESY
Dr Achim Juse – Neurophysiologe im Ruhestand, Friedensnetzwerk Kreis Pinneberg
Prof Thomas Stodulka – University of Münster
Florian Muhl – University of Hamburg
Prof Norman Paech – University of Hamburg (Emeritus)
Dr Sabine Großkopf – University of Hamburg
Dr Roberto Giacomelli – INFN
Dr Andrea Giammanco – UCLouvain, Belgium
Dr Sandro Fonseca de Souza – Rio de Janeiro State University - UERJ/Brazil
Aurelio Castro – Bisexual Research Group
Heiko Ehrlichmann – DESY
Dr Greta Persico – University of Milan-Bicocca
Dr Bärbel Langmann – KlimaLab
Dr Marco Luppi – University of Bologna
Dr Denise Erb – HZDR
Dr Mariateresa Crosta – INAF
Dr Giacomo Ortona – INFN
Dr Valentina Scarpa – University of Florence
Dr Jan Sandel – pharmaceutical industry
Dr Michael Dittmar – ETH Zurich and CERN (retired)
Prof Thomas Schücker – Aix-Marseille University
Dr Sofia Andringa – LIP
Dr Andres Tanasijczuk – UCLouvain, Belgium
Prof Hans-Jörg Kreowski - University of Bremen
Prof Simone Sibilio – Ca' Foscari University Venice
Dr Chiara Oppedisano – INFN
Prof Ugo Amaldi – TERA Foundation
Dr David Valls-Gabaud – CNRS - Observatoire de Paris
Prof Fabio Frosini – Università di Urbino Carlo Bo
Prof Frank Fehrenbach – University of Hamburg
Yusuf As – ver.di Gewerkschaftsrat
Dr Flavio Del Santo – University of Geneva and International Union of Scientists against Militarism
Dr Francesca Vidotto – IEM-CSIC, Spain
Dr Daniel Britzger – Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich
Prof Carlo Rovelli – Aix-Marseille University
Prof Vincenzo Riso – University of Minho
Prof Elisa Giunchi – Università di Milano
Prof Ahmed Bawa – University of Johannesburg
Dr Maria Rosaria Masullo – INFN
Prof Mariarosa Anna Beatrice Melone – University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Prof Soumitro Banerjee – IISER Kolkata, India (Emeritus)
Dr Stefano Bianco – Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) - Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati - Italy
Prof Ahmed Bassalat – An-Najah National University, Palestine
Dr Sevgi Dogan – University of Pisa
Dr Lorenzo Iannuzzi – University of Florence
Dr Marco Cattaneo – University of Helsinki
Prof Elisabetta Petrucci - Sapienza Università di Roma
Dr Piero Donnini - Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Francesca Navarro - Università degli Studi di Milano
Dr Caterina Peroni - CNR IRPPS
Prof Silvia Bagni - University of Bologna
Prof Werner Ruf - University of Kassel (Emeritus)
Andrea Sottile - Università degli Studi di Milano
Prof Rosanna Morace - Università di Sassari
Dr Cristiana Fiamingo – University of Milan
Dr Monica Zoppè – National Research Council (CNR), Italy
Prof Leif Lönnblad – Lund University
Prof Vito Antonio Baldassarro – University of Bologna
Prof Giorgio Mariani – Sapienza Università di Roma (Emeritus)
Prof Annalisa Murgia – University of Milan
Prof Anne Maass – University of Padua (Emerita)
Dr İlayda Özdemir – New York University Abu Dhabi
Antje Daum – DESY
Dr Angela Gargano – INFN
Prof Michael Gasser – Indiana University and International Union of Scientists (Emeritus)
Dr Sabine Kraml – CNRS, France
Andreu Miquel Ginestet Menke – Silent Diplomat
Sigyn Meder – Support Committee for Julian Assange, Stockholm
Prof Peter Brandt – FernUniversität in Hagen (Emeritus)
Dr Tiziana Nadalutti – University of Pisa
Irina Lukka – National Library of Finland, Slavic Collection (retired)
Simona Troilo – Università dell'Aquila
Dr Eva Berglund – Stockholm University
Isabelle Casel – European Peace Project, German Peace Council
Dr Stephan Albrecht – University of Hamburg (retired)
Dr Anna Metteri – Tampere University
Caterina Tono – Università degli Studi di Padova
Prof Valentina D'Orazi – University of Rome Tor Vergata
Sabine Forschner – University of Hamburg
Dr Gianmarco Giovannardi – University of Florence
Jules El-Khatib
Prof Matteo Novaga – University of Pisa
Dorothy Anderson
Prof Alessandro Ferretti – Università di Torino
Taylor Hammerschmied – Friends of the Earth
Dr Alberica Bazzoni - Università per Stranieri di Siena
Antonio Barrocu
Pilar Anita Quarzell – GWAN NOWAR THEATERINATURE
Prof Gerhard Beestermöller – im Ruhestand
Rae Street – CND UK
Rolf Bader – IPPNW-Landsberg
Dr Riccardo Federici – INFN
Dr Claudia D'Oriano – INGV
Dr Arturo Monaco – Sapienza University of Rome
Kaveh Boveiri
Frank-Uwe Dill – DESY
Prof Jeff Cohen – Ithaca College (retired)
Dr Stefano Portelli – UNED Madrid
Brigitte Obermayer
Claire Delstanche – DiEM25
Prof Gianfranco Bocchinfuso – University of Rome Tor Vergata
Vera Zalka – ATTAC Hungary
Janos Debreceni
Matyas Benyik – President ATTAC Hungary Association
Mohammed Khaku
Wolf Göhring – Fraunhofer Society (FhG)
Dr Bernardo Jurema – Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS)
Elias König – University of Twente
Ralph Urban – IPPNW
Prof Carla Langella – University of Naples Federico II
Prof Anna Hollander – Stockholm University
Prof Hartwig Hummel – Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (Emeritus)
Prof Mark Ginsburg – University of Maryland
Prof Eva Senghaas-Knobloch - Universität Bremen
Ralf Krämer – Nie wieder Krieg
Christoph Frei – CERN
Inga Palmer – No to NATO, Women for Peace
Sima Kassaie-van Ooyen – Peace Organisation Germany
Dr Dorothea Hennig
Organizations
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (United Kingdom)
NatWiss – Verantwortung für Frieden und Zukunftsfähigkeit
Informationsstelle Militarisierung (IMI)
Friedensnetzwerk Kreis Pinneberg
Zusammenarbeitsausschuss der Friedensbewegung Schleswig-Holstein
Hamburger Forum für Völkerverständigung und weltweite Abrüstung
Fried:A (Friedensinitiative Altona)
DIDF - Föderation Demokratischer Arbeitervereine
Pressenza - International Press Agency for Peace and Nonviolence
Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden
Rete Ricerca e Università per la Palestina - RUP
Global Strategy of Nonviolence
Friedensinitiative Hamburg-Niendorf
Kritische MIN-Studierende University of Hamburg
Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung (FIfF) e. V.
Deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzt*innen zur Verhütung eines Atomkriegs (IPPNW)
International Union of Scientists (IUS)
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Germany (WILPF Germany)