US President Donald Trump has posted on social media that there is no need for Britain to send an aircraft carrier to the Middle East as the war with Iran continues.
Saturday’s post on Truth Social follows a statement from the UK Ministry of Defense that one of the two main aircraft carriers, the Prince of Wales, is in a “high level of readiness”.
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“The United Kingdom, once our great ally and perhaps our greatest ally, is finally seriously considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
“That’s fine, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them anymore. But we won’t forget. We don’t need people going into war after we’ve already won!”
The post referred to the UK as a “formerly great ally”, suggesting that the rift between the two countries has deepened since Trump returned to office last year.
The rift appears to have deepened over the past week as the United States and Israel continue to strike at Iran as part of the war that began on February 28.
The conflict has sparked fear across the Middle East as Iranian government retaliatory attacks target US allies across the region.
An estimated 1,332 people have already been killed in Iran, with the US confirming the deaths of six military personnel. Countries including Lebanon, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq have reported many more deaths.
The British government is stepping up its involvement in the war against Iran, which is widely considered illegal under international law.
For example, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government had authorized the use of military bases for “limited defense purposes” in the United States.
Bases include RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. There were initially reports that Starmer had blocked the US from using the base.
Immediately after the first attacks by the United States and Israel, Starmer seemed blank about the prospect of going to war.
He and the leaders of France and Germany issued a joint statement stressing that any action taken by both countries will be defensive in nature.
“We will take steps to protect our interests and those of our allies in the region, including, in some cases, enabling necessary and proportionate defensive actions to destroy Iran’s missile and drone launch capabilities,” the joint statement said.
“We have agreed to work with the United States and our regional allies on this issue.”
But Mr Starmer had to push back against domestic criticism both for and against joining the war.
On Monday, he told Britain’s parliament that he would “not take part in any attack by the United States or Israel”, citing the need to protect “British national interests” and “British lives”.
The Iran war remains unpopular in Britain. The pollster Survation surveyed 1,045 British adults last week, and 43% of respondents said the war was not justified.
Asked if they supported Mr Starmer’s initial decision not to allow the US to use British bases, 56% of respondents said so. Only 27% said it was the wrong choice.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in London on Saturday to demand an end to the growing conflict.
Meanwhile, the US president has stepped up his criticism of Starmer over the past week, further deteriorating relations with the UK government.
For example, on March 3, President Trump met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, during which he reiterated that he was “not happy with Britain.”
“We’re not dealing with Winston Churchill,” Trump said of Starmer.
President Trump has long admired Churchill, and last year, as he did during his first term, he installed a bust of the late British wartime leader in the Oval Office.
By contrast, President Trump has issued a barrage of criticism of Starmer, particularly over his decision to transfer control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in 2024.
The move came after the International Court of Justice found that Britain acted illegally by separating the island from Mauritius in 1965 and creating a separate colony.
The agreement with Mauritius allows the US and UK to maintain military bases on Diego Garcia, which is part of the archipelago.
However, President Trump has repeatedly condemned the transfer, writing on social media that “transferring vitally important land is a very foolish thing to do.”
Tensions between the US and UK also escalated after President Trump told Fox News in January that the NATO ally was “a little bit removed from the front lines” during the US war in Afghanistan.
Mr Starmer responded that he found Mr Trump’s comments “insulting and frankly appalling”.
The Trump administration has signaled a move away from traditional European allies in favor of more politically aligned countries.
At a summit with Latin American right-wing leaders on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to praise those in attendance, while casting shade at other allies.
“When we learn that sometimes our allies aren’t there for us when we need them, these countries are there for us,” Rubio said at the summit.
