Trump to ‘audit’ Britain and different NATO allies over their ‘failure’ to assist his Iran battle as ‘fed up’ Starmer once more lashes out at president for ‘inflaming’ the Middle East

Donald Trump is to ‘audit’ Britain and other NATO allies the president deems to have disappointed him by refusing to get involved in the Iran war.

In the latest move in the Transatlantic spat the US administration has reportedly threatened to withdraw military forces from counties seen as being unhelpful to the war effort.  

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer aimed yet another jibe at the White House overnight.

After speaking to Trump about Iran last night the PM made a thinly veiled jibe about leaders who ‘inflame’ tensions and drive up bills in a Guardian article.

That followed an interview he carried out on a visit to the Gulf in which he admitted he was ‘fed up’ with bills going up in the UK ‘because of the actions of Putin or Trump’.

The US has 13 bases and some 10,000 air force and other personnel in Britain, and their withdrawal would have a major security and economic impact.

And a wider withdrawal of 80,000 troops from Western Europe would leave the continent at greater risk from Russian aggression. 

It came as the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran appeared on the verge of collapse last night after Donald Trump accused Tehran of breaching their agreement – as missiles continued to rain down across the Middle East. 

Just over two days since the US President announced a ceasefire in the six-week-old conflict it already seemed to be unravelling out of his control.

On Thursday there was still no sign Iran was lifting its near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, having cited Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon as a key sticking point to maintain its grip over the vital shipping route.

Only a handful of vessels have passed through the Strait since the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday night, with the Islamic Republic reportedly demanding that shipping companies pay enormous tolls for safe passage. 

Trump accused Iran of breaching the terms of the ceasefire by not allowing ships to transit the waterway, further casting doubt on the effectiveness of the deal. 

‘Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,’ he wrote on his social media site on Thursday, adding: ‘That is not the agreement we have!’

The post came after Iran’s Supreme Leader released a statement demanding ‘blood money’ from the US and Israel after denouncing them as ‘criminal aggressors’.

‘We will undoubtedly demand compensation for every single damage inflicted, the blood money of the martyrs, and the diyah of the war-wounded,’ Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a message broadcast on Iranian state TV. 

Defence minister Luke Pollard defended the UK’s actions to protect Gulf allies from Iranian attack without getting drawn into the wider fighting. 

He told Times Radio: ‘We’ve been very clear that the war in Iran is not our war, but we have stepped up in support of defending our allies from the reckless Iranian attacks on, not only British and coalition bases, but also our allies in the Gulf.

‘And indeed, the secretary general of Nato, Mark Rutte, said yesterday that he praised the work of Keir Starmer and the UK in bringing together allies in support of opening the Strait of Hormuz to allow the flow of energy and ships through that important shipping channel.’

No decision has been made, and the White House has not directed the Pentagon to draw up concrete plans for a troop reduction in Europe, a US official told Reuters.

But the discussions alone underscore how sharply relations between Washington and its European NATO allies have deteriorated in recent months. 

They also suggest that a visit to the White House on Wednesday by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte failed to significantly improve transatlantic relations, which are arguably at their lowest point since NATO’s 1949 founding.

The White House has publicly said that Trump has considered withdrawing from the alliance altogether. Removing troops from Europe would allow Trump to dramatically lessen Washington’s security commitments on the continent, without formally withdrawing, a move that would test constitutional law.

On Thursday a Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump from Qatar this evening.

‘The Prime Minister set out his discussions with Gulf leaders and military planners in the region on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the UK’s efforts to convene partners to agree a viable plan.

‘They agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution.

‘The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible.’

Sir Keir earlier appeared to blame Mr Trump for rising bills alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling ITV’s Talking Politics Podcast: ‘I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump.’

He added the ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz must have ‘toll-free navigation’ as part of the ceasefire amid reports Iran wants to charge for passage.

Asked whether he viewed the critical strait as now being open, he said: ‘There are a lot of things being said – they need to be tested’ and that the UK’s position is that ‘open’ means ‘open for safe navigation’.

‘That means toll-free navigation and vessels can get through,’ he told Talking Politics.

In a Guardian article overnight the PM reiterated his position that the UK should not join the war, adding: ‘We act to reduce escalation, not inflame it. 

‘We work with allies, not alone. And we protect our security without losing sight of our economic stability.’