Donald Trump has launched a vicious new attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s Britain in the latest blow to the “special relationship”.
The President has warned that the UK may no longer be America’s “number one ally” – and warned that Nato could be on its last legs.
The President said that Nato allies should pitch in and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz – and argued that China and Europe are more reliant on oil from the Gulf than the US.
He told the FT: “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato.”
Mr Trump had also urged Japan, South Korea, China, France and the UK to join in a “team effort” to open up the passage – through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows.
He said Nato countries should do “whatever it takes”, but added American allies should send minesweepers.
Europe has more minesweeping drones in its possession than the US military.
In the UK, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for ships and drones to be sent to the Strait of Hormuz, to ease up oil prices.
Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as he returns to the White House from Mar-a-Lago
|
GETTY
Mr Trump said he wanted European military forces to “knock out some bad actors” on the shores of Iran.
Brent crude oil prices shot up to $104 (£78.44) on Sunday evening, a new high following the 2022 world record set after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And Mr Trump then turned his attention to Volodymyr Zelensky’s country, saying the US had been “very sweet”.
He added: “We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us… But we helped them. Now we’ll see if they help us.”
Mr Trump said the UK’s response to the Iran war was lacking, despite being America’s “longest-serving” ally.
He added that when he “asked for them to come, they didn’t want to come”.
The UK may no longer be the ‘number one ally’ to the US, Donald Trump told the Financial Times
|
GETTY
That came just days after his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested to GB News that the President’s and PM’s relationship was broken.
“The President’s position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the UK in trade, defence and the support we give to Nato,” Mr Witkoff said.
“Sometimes the response back, the reciprocity… is a little bit lacking. I would leave it at that.”
The UK has now deployed HMS Dragon to Cyprus.
But the President said this has come too late, adding “we need these ships before we win, not after we win”.
Mr Trump also said the danger to the region has now been greatly reduced, with Iran being “essentially decimated”.
Nato has warned it may face a ‘very bad future’ if allies don’t help in the Strait of Hormuz
|
GETTYThese are repeated claims from the President, who first said the war was won, but not “won enough”, last week.
He said the most Iran could do in its current state was “make a little trouble” by causing nuisance.
On Friday, the US named six refuelling crew members who died in a crash in western Iraq, and a French solider was killed on Thursday in an Iranian drone strike,
An Italian aircraft was also destroyed on Sunday at a base in Kuwait, while the British sovereign base RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone fired from Lebanon – though did not suffer major damage.