“We don't need people going into wars after we've already won them.” Trump says he can win the war with Iran without Britain's help
US President Donald Trump said Britain was “very seriously” considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but added that the United States did not need them to win the war with Iran, in the latest episode of tension between the military allies.
Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, suggesting this week that he had helped “ruin” the historically close relationship between the two countries after London initially blocked the US from using British bases for strikes against Iran.
In a post on his social network Truth Social, Trump said he would “remember” Britain's lack of support during the conflict with Iran.
“The UK, once our great ally, perhaps our greatest of all, is finally looking very seriously at sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
“That's okay Prime Minister Starmer, we don't need them anymore, but we'll remember. We don't need people going into wars after we've already won them!” he added.
The social media post comes after Britain's Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that it was preparing the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales for a possible deployment.
However, a final decision on whether to send the ship to the Middle East has not yet been made, a British official said.
US–UK relations were already strained by disputes over Greenland and the war in Afghanistan
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended his decision not to initially allow US forces to use British bases for strikes against Iran, saying he needed to ensure any military action was legal and well-planned.
He later granted US forces permission to use British bases for what he called defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage or on launchers.
Asked about Trump's comments, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News on Sunday: “One thing I've learned in this job is that you have to focus on the substance, not the social media posts.”
“We will not do things based on rhetoric or exaggeration. We will take practical, calm and balanced decisions. I think in general the British character is to act in a serious and steady way,” she added.
Earlier this year, Starmer criticized Trump's desire to buy Greenland and said his claims that European troops had avoided front-line fighting in the war in Afghanistan were “simply outrageous”.
