US President Donald Trump on Saturday (US local time) strongly criticised UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the decision not to back the US-Israeli military strikes on Iran, saying London was “finally giving serious thought” to deploying two aircraft carriers to West Asia.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that such support would come too late and argued that the United States does not require assistance after a war has already been won.
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” he said.
Starmer Defends UK’s Position In Parliament
Earlier this week, Starmer responded to Trump’s criticism by highlighting the ongoing cooperation between the two countries despite the disagreement over the Iran strikes.
Addressing the UK Parliament, Starmer stressed that the so-called “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States remains active through operational cooperation.
“American planes are operating out of British bases. That is the special relationship in action. British jets are shooting down drones and missiles to protect American lives in the Middle East on our joint bases. That is the special relationship in action. Sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe. That is the special relationship in action. Hanging on to President Trump’s latest words is not the special relationship in action,” he said.
Starmer also defended his decision not to take part in the strikes on Iran, stating that he had not identified a lawful basis for such military action and that his position remained unchanged.
UK Defence Ministry Notes Role In Regional Security
In a post on X, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence shared operational updates for March 7, stating that the United States has begun using British bases for certain defensive missions.
The ministry said these operations are intended “to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region, which is putting British lives at risk.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had already labelled the UK’s stance on Iran as “very, very uncooperative.” He accused Starmer of damaging relations and said the British leader was “no Winston Churchill.”
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was “not happy” with what he described as London’s lack of support in the run-up to the strikes on Tehran.
