President Donald Trump launched a fierce criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, declaring, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” as relations between Washington and London deteriorated amid the Iran crisis.
From the Oval Office on March 3, Trump delivered a blistering assessment of the U.K. leader while sitting beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and in front of a bust of Winston Churchill. He intensified his reproach over Britain’s initial refusal to permit American forces to use British military facilities for strikes against Iran.
Trump complained the U.K.’s decision caused delays, saying it took days to arrange alternative options for U.S. military operations. He referred to the Chagos Islands as “very, very uncooperative with that stupid island” and dismissed the matter as “a shame.”
The row began after the U.K. initially barred the U.S. from using British bases, including Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, to launch strikes on Iran during the weekend of Feb. 28–March 1. The prime minister reversed course only after Iran’s retaliatory actions spread across the Middle East, including a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus that damaged a runway early March 2.
Trump extended his criticism to Starmer’s controversial agreement to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius under a 99-year lease. The May 2025 deal allows the U.K. and U.S. to continue operating the Diego Garcia base while Mauritius assumes sovereignty of the islands.
The president’s comments marked an unprecedented public break in the so-called “special relationship” between the two nations. Trump suggested other European allies had been considerably more cooperative than Britain during the Iran operations.
Merz sat next to Trump during the Oval Office remarks and later told reporters he had “addressed both issues very clearly in a personal conversation,” preferring not to air disagreements publicly. Trump praised NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for his support and also said he was cutting off all trade with Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denied U.S. permission to use jointly run bases for Iran operations.
The diplomatic backlash forced Downing Street into damage control. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones defended the government’s decision, saying the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes did not meet the Prime Minister’s threshold for U.K. involvement.
Starmer pushed back in parliament, arguing his actions protected Britain’s national interest. The prime minister reiterated his administration’s principled resistance to certain military interventions, stating his government “does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
The U.K. later dispatched the air-defence destroyer HMS Dragon and two Wildcat helicopters equipped with counterdrone systems to the Cyprus area to help secure RAF Akrotiri after the Iranian drone attack. Britain also allowed its bases to be used for defensive strikes following Iran’s subsequent missile and drone launches across the region.
The White House expressed particular concern about losing access to Diego Garcia, a strategic Indian Ocean air base that could have refueled B-2 bombers during operations against Iran. Although Trump initially approved the U.K.-Mauritius arrangement, he later condemned it as an “act of great stupidity.”
Despite the confrontation, the prime minister’s official spokesman tried to downplay the split, emphasizing long-standing cooperation. When asked to define the special relationship, the spokesman insisted Britain and America remain staunch allies.
Trump told The Sun that the special relationship was “not what it used to be” and accused Starmer of having “not been helpful.” The president, who noted his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in Scotland, also criticized U.K. energy and immigration policies during his remarks.
The public dispute is among the most serious diplomatic rifts between Washington and London in recent memory, with both leaders showing little sign of retreating. The crisis also drew criticism from Britain’s Middle Eastern partners, including Cyprus and Gulf states, who said London had not done enough to protect the region from Iranian strikes.
With Iran continuing attacks across the region and the U.S. looking at alternative bases for operations, such as RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, the standoff between Trump and Starmer shows no immediate sign of easing. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have both commented on the deteriorating security situation, increasing pressure on the British government to clarify its position.