US President Donald Trump sharply criticised the United Kingdom’s position on Iran, saying Britain had been “very, very uncooperative” and accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for “ruining relationships”. Trump also said that he was no “Winston Churchill,’ while referring to Starmer.
While addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he was unhappy with what he called London’s lack of cooperation during the build-up to the strikes on Tehran.
The US President alleged that the UK initially denied permission for American bombers to use Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands, for operations.
“This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with,” Trump said, drawing a comparison with Britain’s wartime leader. “They ruin relationships. It’s a shame,” he added.
He further described the UK’s stance as “very, very uncooperative” and termed the situation surrounding the island base as “shocking”.
However, Trump noted that Starmer eventually agreed late Sunday night, permitting American forces to use British bases for the strikes.
The remarks highlight tensions in the longstanding “special relationship” between Washington and London, a key element of Western security cooperation. While meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump also criticised Spain, announcing that the US would halt all trade with Madrid after it refused to allow American forces to use Spanish bases for operations linked to the Iran conflict.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump said. He added that he had instructed US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said.
On February 28, the US and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes across several Iranian cities, targeting military command centers, air-defense systems, missile sites, and key regime infrastructure. The strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and four senior military and security officials, with major explosions reported in Tehran and other cities.
In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at US forces and allies in the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, escalating the Middle East conflict and increasing risks for civilians and expatriates.
Nearly all of those countries host U.S. military bases or facilities in the Gulf region. The United States maintains bases and military installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, among others, as part of its regional presence.
