Trump Reportedly Berates Starmer Over Britain's Support for U.S. Iran Strikes

Two officials briefed on a G7 video call said Trump mocked Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his initial refusal to allow the U.S. to use British bases for strikes on Iran, telling Starmer in front of the other leaders that he no longer needed his help: "You should have proposed it before the war — now it is too late." Sources familiar with the exchange said the moment turned into a diplomatic spectacle, with Trump boasting about the U.S.-Israel war on Iran while dismissing Britain's offers of assistance.

Trump's feud with Starmer began when Britain initially refused the president's request to use its military bases in support of the war with Iran, which Starmer understood to be illegal. Starmer initially blocked the U.S. from using British military bases, specifically Diego Garcia, for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, defended his initial reluctance to get involved, arguing that any UK military action "must always have a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan." He did, however, join the defense against Iran's retaliation after British military assets in the Middle East came under attack. The UK Defence Ministry later said the government had allowed the U.S. to use its military bases for "limited defensive purposes," including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and the Diego Garcia site in the Chagos Islands.

That partial reversal did little to mollify Trump. On March 7, in a Truth Social post that followed a Ministry of Defence statement placing HMS Prince of Wales on "high readiness," Trump wrote: "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. 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!"

Trump had already singled out Starmer with particular vitriol, saying "This is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with" on March 3. He also suggested Britain was no longer "the Rolls-Royce of allies." Trump also claimed that when he asked Starmer to send assets to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Starmer said he would need to discuss the options with his team, to which Trump said he replied: "You don't have to worry about a team… you're the prime minister; you can make a decision… It's very disappointing."

Starmer addressed Parliament directly, saying the U.K. was "not involved in the initial strikes against Iran, and we will not join offensive action now." He added: "President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain's national interest. That is what I've done, and I stand by it."

A Survation poll of 1,045 British adults found that 43 percent called the Iran war unjustifiable, and 56 percent approved of Starmer's initial decision not to allow the U.S. to use UK bases, with only 27 percent saying it was the wrong choice.

The acrimony has placed the broader U.S.-UK relationship under strain. Though a King Charles state visit to Washington in April had been widely expected, to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, it had not been confirmed. Labour MP Emily Thornberry said: "The last thing that we want to do is have His Majesty… embarrassed. I think it needs to be thought through very carefully as to whether or not it's appropriate to go ahead now."

The rupture is a stark turn from the relationship both men worked to cultivate. When Starmer sat next to Trump in the Oval Office in February 2025, he brandished a letter from King Charles III inviting Trump for a second state visit to Britain, effusively calling it "unprecedented" and "truly historic." The two leaders also signed a "tech prosperity deal" during Trump's state visit in September.

The fracture also provided material for the premiere of the British version of Saturday Night Live, which depicted a panicked Starmer inside 10 Downing Street asking his Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, "What if Donald shouts at me?" Trump shared the video on Truth Social on the same evening the two leaders actually spoke about the Iran war. In a readout of that call, the Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders focused on "the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping" and agreed that reopening it "was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market."

Peter Westmacott, who served as Britain's ambassador to Washington from 2012 to 2016, told CNN: "Starmer has spent 18 months trying to manage the relationship by not rising to the bait and dealing in private. He tries to use calm and reason and arguments that will appeal to Trump. But it clearly doesn't always work, and you never know what he will say the next day.