Donald Trump and Keir Starmer conflict on Iran battle – 5 key UK-US variations
Donald Trump’s action in recent weeks has raised concerns over the damage to UK-US relations – The Mirror takes a look at the points of difference from ceasefire confusion to British military bases
The US President has repeatedly mocked the British PM(Image: Getty Images)
The UK-US special relationship is under strain like never before.
Donald Trump’s action in recent weeks – from apocalyptic threats to wipe out a civilisation to repeated insults at Keir Starmer – has sparked deep concerns over the long-term damage to relations.
The US President has repeatedly mocked the British PM, accusing Mr Starmer of being “no Winston Churchill” over his reluctance to let the US launch attacks on Iran from British soil. He has also ridiculed UK aircraft carriers, calling them “toys”, and lashed out at NATO for doing “absolutely nothing” to help the US in his conflict.
Differences in opinion have emerged again over Tuesday’s ceasefire deal. The UK is demanding Lebanon be included in the agreement and that all shipping is allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz toll-free.
The Mirror takes a look at the points of difference between the US and the UK in relation to the conflict in Iran.
READ MORE: Iran war live: Ceasefire fears as Trump lashes out and UK issues urgent warning
1. Starting the war in the first place
The difference in opinions of the UK and the US became apparent as soon as Donald Trump began his joint action with Israel against Iran.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper – who was asked about the strained relationship between the two countries – this morning said aiding the US was not the “right thing to do” for the UK.
She said: “We took a different view on this conflict in Iran. I mean, there’s no getting away from that. We did, and that was, I think, the right thing to do in the UK’s national interest.
“So we maintain this deep cooperation. I spoke to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, just two days ago, exactly about a lot of the negotiations that they had underway before the ceasefire was reached. But we did also take a different decision at the beginning of this conflict, because we did not get drawn into offensive operations. We did not think that was the right thing to do according to our interests and our values.”
2. Lebanon’s inclusion in a ceasefire
The UK is clear that it wants Lebanon to be included in any ceasefire agreed in the Middle East.
Just hours after Donald Trump announced the agreement, confusion broke out over the Israel-Hezbollah conflict with Israel claiming that war is outside of the ceasefire, whilst peace broker Pakistan claimed it was included. Israel continued its bombardment of Lebanon on Wednesday, with more than 250 people killed.
US Vice President JD Vance said there has been a “misunderstanding” over the ceasefire agreement and that Lebanon was not included. Speaking in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, he said: “I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise, we never indicated that was going to be the case.”
Keir Starmer and world leaders yesterday demanded Israel end its assault on Lebanon as they called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be permanent. And on Thursday morning, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast said the country needed to be “urgently” included in the ceasefire.
3. Iran imposing tolls on shipping route
Donald Trump has suggested he could back tolls on the Strait of Hormuz – something the UK is fiercely against.
Tehran effectively blockaded the vital shipping lane, which transports around a fifth of the world’s oil, after the US/Israel first began its military action. A two-week ceasefire deal was agreed at the 11th-hour on Tuesday in an attempt to reopen the Strait.
But confusion has erupted over the terms. Iranian officials told the New York Times it would impose a fee of roughly $2 million (£1.1 million) per ship that it would split with Oman, which sits across the strait. Elsewhere, the FT suggested Iran could demand ships pay a tariff of $1 per barrel of oil through cryptocurrency. Empty tankers would be able to pass freely.
Mr Trump on Wednesday said he was considering a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the Strait. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he told ABC. The White House later clarified that the ceasefire requires a reopening of the Strait “without limitation, including tolls”.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said this morning it is “crucial” that Iran is not allowed to introduce tolls on the shipping route. “This is an international transit route through the high seas so it cannot be allowed to apply tolls and restrictions on that route as it reopens,” she said.
4. Allowing US to use British bases
Keir Starmer refused to allow the US to access British military bases for the initial wave of strikes, enraging Donald Trump.
The Prime Minister later agreed to let American bombers use RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, and Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to carry out defensive strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities. He was pushed to act by Iran’s indiscriminate retaliatory strikes against the UK’s allies in the Gulf.
But he made it clear that he was not following the US into the conflict, repeatedly saying: “This is not our war.” In some of his strongest criticism yet of Mr Trump, Mr Starmer also questioned the legal basis of the strikes – and whether the US had a proper plan.
When the US President threatened to attack civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants in Iran – No10 signalled that the UK would not let American use its military bases.
5. Warships in the Strait of Hormuz
The UK also resisted Mr Trump’s calls for allies to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
A furious Mr Trump lashed out at Keir Starmer and branded British aircraft carriers “toys” – saying the US didn’t need them anyway.
The US President also said the UK should “take” the Strait of Hormuz to solve the oil crisis as the US won’t be there to help anymore. He added that the UK needs to “start learning how to fight for yourself”.
In an incendiary Truth Social post at the end of March, Mr Trump said: “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”
