US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he does not need Britain’s help to win the war with Iran, even though London is seriously considering sending two aircraft carriers to West Asia.
This comes amid the latest clash between the two long-time military allies, whose relationship has fluctuated since Trump took office in the United States. The Republican leader said in a post on the Truth Social website that he would “remember” the lack of British support during the conflict with Iran.
“The UK, our once great ally, perhaps the greatest of them all, is finally seriously considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s okay Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them anymore – but we’ll remember. We don’t need people joining wars when we’ve already won!” He said in the post.
Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, suggesting this week that he helped “destroy” the historically close relationship between the two countries after London blocked the United States’ initial use of British bases to attack Iran.
Keir Starmer has defended his decision not to allow US forces to use British bases to support initial strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was lawful and well-planned.
He later granted US forces permission to use British bases to conduct what he described as defensive strikes against Iranian missiles at storage depots or launch pads.
What did Britain say about aircraft carriers?
Donald Trump’s comments can be seen in light of a statement from the British Ministry of Defence, which said on Saturday it was preparing the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales for a possible deployment.
But a British official, quoted by Reuters, said that no final decision had been made about sending it to West Asia.
The wars in West Asia are a sensitive topic in Britain after the Iraq disaster, where then-Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized years later for invading the country in 2003 when the United States said Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons were never found.
