U.S. President Donald Trump is “very disappointed” in British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his blocking America from using joint military bases to strike Iran, a report states.
It is very disappointing that Britain didn’t stand with the United States when it launched strikes against Iran’s military and weapons industry, and British Prime Minister Starmer then took too long to get involved in the defence of Middle Eastern allies once the bombs started flying, President Donald Trump has said.
In comments made to British conservative-leaning broadsheet The Daily Telegraph, the U.S. President was forthright in his criticism of the left-wing British Prime Minister, opining that the outright refusal to stand by America may be a first in the history of the special relationship. As stated, the British government blocked Trump from launching strikes from United States military bases on British soil, which includes the highly strategic Diego Garcia — which has a clear flight path to Iran without overflying any other countries — and Fairford in England, the USAF’s most important bomber base in Europe.
President Trump told the Telegraph Starmer demurred on legal grounds, perhaps unsurprisingly given he is a former human rights lawyer who has shown a slavish devotion to international law, even at the expense of the national interest, during his time in power. Trump is reported to have reflected on Starmer’s denial of the bases: “It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”
This was foolish of the British leader, Trump said, because Iran has long targeted the United Kingdom.
Almost 48 hours after the strikes began, Starmer relented on his initial position and opened up the British bases, but with heavy restrictions. They were only to be used to launch defensive missions by U.S. aircraft, not to undertake strike missions against Iran. This change is “useful”, Trump told The Telegraph, but Starmer “took far too much time” to get there, he said.
Other remarks took in the now long running saga of Starmer’s plan to give away the British land underneath the Diego Garcia airbase, telling Starmer rather than simply bowing to the ruling of a foreign court, he should have “fought” for the British sovereign territory. The course of action chosen by Britain’s left wing government was “woke”, the President said, noting that in aggregate: “we were very disappointed in Keir.”
President Trump is not the only member of the U.S. leadership to have expressed his disappointment in Europe’s prevarication. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised Israel but called out others. He remarked, as reported by Breitbart News: “Capable partners, as we’ve said since the beginning, capable partners are good partners — unlike so many of our traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls hemming and hawing about the use of force.”
Starmer, for his own part, attempted to make clear his own rationale for not permitting the UK to even lend tacit support to the U.S. for the Iran campaign — by allowing America to use its own airbases on British soil, for instance — and ended up clearly criticising President Trump as he did so. Making clear his government had come to the conclusion that President Trump’s strikes were not legal and not “thought-through”, the British Prime Minister said “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies”. He went on:
…the U.S. requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose… yesterday evening we took the decision to accept that new request in order to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region… to be clear the use of British bases is limited to the agreed defensive purposes. We are not joining the U.S. and Israeli offensive strikes.
The basis for our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies and protecting British lives. It is in accordance with international law… We all remember the mistakes of Iraq and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable, through-through plan. I say again, we were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now.
Again rejecting the Trump approach, Starmer added that while he agreed that Iran should never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, nevertheless “ultimately this will have to be achieved at the negotiating table”.
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