For the first time since the president's denunciation of Iran, Starmer and Trump converse

For the first time since the president's denunciation of Iran, Starmer and Trump converse

For the first time since the US president sharply denounced the UK's reaction to Iran, Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have spoken.

 

Limited information on the call was made public by No. 10, which stated that the two leaders talked about military cooperation between the US and the UK as well as the Middle East situation.


The president stated on social media on Saturday that the UK was thinking about sending aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but he rejected the idea, saying, "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!" -calling Britain "our once great ally" in the process.

In the past, Sir Keir stated that while the UK would not participate in offensive operations, it would permit the US to utilize British bases for defense strikes against Iranian missile sites.

Following the prime minister's rejection of a US request to use UK bases for initial offensive attacks against Iran, Trump has frequently voiced his dissatisfaction with the prime minister.

Trump declared earlier this week that Sir Keir was "no Winston Churchill" and that he was "not happy with the UK".

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that Sir Keir Starmer was "right to stand up for Britain's interests" and that the UK government will disagree with the president "on every issue" in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday.The US president has the authority to determine what he believes to be in the country's best interests.

"But it is our job as the UK government to decide what's in the UK national interest, and that doesn't mean simply agreeing with other countries or outsourcing our foreign policy to other countries."

"The leaders began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defense of partners in the region," Downing Street said in a statement following the phone conversation between Trump and Sir Keir.Following the deaths of six US servicemen, the prime minister also expressed his sincere condolences to President Trump and the American people.They anticipated communicating with each other again soon.

Downing Street has maintained that it does not wish to take part in the larger offensive campaign in the Middle East and has defended its decision to stay out of the initial strikes in spite of Trump's criticism.

Cooper stated that the United Kingdom would "provide defensive support when we see Iranian strikes on partner countries where British citizens are residing" .

RAF aircraft have been dispatched to the area to intercept Iranian drones and missiles aimed at UK allies.


Although the foreign secretary declined to clarify whether the UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will be dispatched to the area, it has been put on advanced readiness.

Former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who led the United Kingdom into the Iraq War in 2003, stated at a private gathering on Friday that the United Kingdom ought to have supported the strikes from the start.

Regardless of the current president, he said, allies should "show up" because the US is a "indispensable cornerstone" of the UK's security.

Cooper stated that it was "important to learn lessons from what went wrong" in the US invasion of Iraq while serving as a junior minister in Sir Tony's administration.

"Recognising that all our decisions need to be about what is right for British citizens" was one of those things, she said.

The foreign secretary stated that while some politicians "think we should never agree with the US" or "go along with joint action," others "think we should just unquestioningly agree with the US whatever," but neither strategy was appropriate.

The Iranian ambassador in London cautioned the UK to be "very careful" about getting more involved in the conflict during an appearance on the same program.

"If facilities, properties, or bases are used against the Iranian nation," they would be seen as "legitimate targets," according to Seyed Ali Mousavi.

Robert Jenrick of Reform UK stated that his party believed the government should have permitted the US to use UK bases "from the outset" but that the UK should not participate in offensive bombing raids over Iran.

He said that the "vacillation of the PM has damaged relations with the US significantly" to Kuenssberg.

Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, told Sky News that the government had committed "a dereliction of duty" by neglecting to deploy warships to Cyprus or the Middle East before to the battle.

"The issue is that the ships are now far from Cyprus. They're not even close to the Gulf," Philp remarked.They are stuck at the Portsmouth docks because Keir Starmer and the Labour government did not bring those ships into the area despite knowing three or four weeks prior that America was planning this attack against Iran.

The Ministry of Defence reported "minimal damage" after a tiny drone struck the runway at RAF Akrotiri earlier this week.

Currently stationed in Portsmouth, HMS Dragon's air defense capabilities will be deployed to the Mediterranean to strengthen security around the RAF base at Akrotiri, Cyprus. It won't be sailing until the following week. 

The HMS Prince of Wales crew has been informed that they should be prepared to depart in five days.

Cooper responded that the UK had "pre-deployed" fighter jets and 400 more personnel to the area when asked if the country had been hesitant to react to the incident.

According to her, the government has been using more Wildcat helicopters and typhoon fighter jets since the battle started.

A planned visit by King Charles to the United States should be canceled, according to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.It's obvious that this visit shouldn't proceed at a time when Trump has started an illegal war that is destroying the Middle East and driving up energy costs for British consumers.

"A state visit from our King would be seen as yet another huge diplomatic coup for President Trump, so it should not be given to someone who repeatedly insults and damages our country."