Spanish citizens see US President Donald Trump as the world leader who presents the greatest threat to world peace, followed by Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a poll published Monday by Spanish news outlet El País.
Notably, both Trump and Netanyahu ranked as more significant threats to world peace than Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Asked to name the leader who most endangers world peace, 81% of respondents indicated that Trump is a significant danger, followed by 79.2% for Putin and 71.2% for Netanyahu. Iran's Khamenei came next with a rating of 62.9%, followed by Kim Jong-Un with 62.25, and Xi Jinping with 49.3%.
The El País report noted that survey participants who identified with right-wing and far-Right parties - such as El Partido Popular (The People's Party) and Vox- were more likely to identify Vladimir Putin as the biggest threat above Trump and Netanyahu.
Beyond just ranking world leaders by how much they threaten world peace, the El País poll asked survey participants a series of questions about the current geopolitical situation.
Asked if the international community should be putting more pressure to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 75% answered in the affirmative. However, only 32% of those surveyed agreed with the statement, "the United States and Israel should continue with the attacks until the Islamic regime in Iran falls."
Seventy percent of those polled agreed that it was likely that a massive expulsion of Palestinians from their homes to neighboring countries would occur within the next 12 months, and 80% agreed that it was likely the war in Iran would cause a global economic crisis within that time frame as well.
US boots on the ground in Iran could lead to widespread regional conflict, experts say
As the Spanish express concern over the threat presented by various global powers, experts from the Middle East assert that the most pertinent question is no longer just how many airstrikes the US will launch, but whether American boots will soon touch Iranian soil
Regional governments are no longer preparing for a full-scale occupation; they are bracing for unpredictable risks. Even a brief, targeted American ground assault could severely worsen the energy shocks rattling global markets, ignite militias across multiple fronts, and strip neighboring capitals of their remaining diplomatic leverage. The true danger of this new phase lies in crossing a critical red line.
Once US forces are visible on Iranian soil, the rules of engagement will fundamentally change, potentially sparking widespread retaliation and making the conflict nearly impossible to contain.
Giorgia Valente/The Media Line contributed to this report.