Could Trump's Iran trade war threaten Spain's saffron-infused paella?

WASHINGTON: US threats to punish Iran's trading partners could disrupt Spain's saffron supply, putting pressure on paella chefs and exporters.

Madrid, Spain, Fields of purple flowers contain crimson stigmas that make saffron, an essential spice in Spain's national dish, paella.

Saffron gives the rice-based dish its distinctive yellow colour and earthy aroma.

Though the central Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha grows its own crop, Spain depends largely on Iran for its supply.

This could now be under threat after the United States said in late August that it would launch an "economic onslaught" against Tehran's trade partners around the globe to cripple Iran financially. The United Arab Emirates also said it would suspend trade relations with Iran.

Exactly how Washington would take measures against all of Iran's trade partners remains unclear, although on September 4 the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Turkiye's Golden Global Bank, which the US accuses of facilitating funds for Iran, CNBC reported.

"This threat from the United States could be a problem for us. Our biggest supplier by far is Iran. Then we sell it to markets all over the world," Jose Luis Guerrero, of CEAE, a Spanish saffron export company that began in 1904, told Al Jazeera. "We will have to worry about it when the US says what action it will actually take."

US threats to punish Iran's trade partners could disrupt Spain's saffron supply, pressuring paella chefs and exporters.