Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Mar 8: Donald Trump has escalated his criticism of United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer over London’s response to the ongoing conflict involving United States, Israel and Iran, saying Britain was only now considering sending aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the UK was “finally giving serious thought” to deploying two aircraft carriers to the region but insisted that American forces no longer required the support.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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 added.
The remarks come amid rising tensions between the two allies after London initially blocked Washington from using British bases to launch early strikes against Iran.
According to a Reuters report, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Saturday it was preparing the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales for a possible deployment to the Middle East. However, a British official said no final decision had been taken.
Starmer has defended the decision not to allow US forces to use British bases during the initial phase of the strikes, saying he needed to ensure that any military action was legally justified and properly planned.
He later allowed US forces to use British bases for what he described as defensive operations targeting Iranian missile depots and launch systems.
Trump had earlier launched a personal attack on Starmer, telling reporters during a meeting at the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
The tensions follow earlier disagreements between the two leaders, including Starmer’s criticism of Trump’s proposal to acquire Greenland and remarks Trump made about European troops avoiding frontline combat during the war in Afghanistan.