President Donald Trump has expressed his disagreement with the UK's decision not to permit the use of British military bases for the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was "not happy with the UK" over the decision, which led to US planes "flying many extra hours". He also criticized Sir Keir Starmer, saying he is "no Winston Churchill" in the row over the refusal.
The US had sought to use the military base in Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands, but the UK prime minister refused, only agreeing to the US request to use British military bases subsequently for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites.
UK Response
Sir Keir Starmer said, "President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain's national interest."
The situation changed on Sunday when Iran's "outrageous" response became "a threat to our people, our interests and our allies", the prime minister said, prompting the decision to allow the bases to be used to hit Tehran's missile infrastructure.
US-UK Relations
Lord Darroch, former British ambassador to the US, said the comments were "pretty brutal", adding there was "obviously a serious rift" between the two countries.
Treasury Minister Torsten Bell told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that "on the ground" the US and UK were continuing to work closely together, despite their differences over the Iran strikes.
Global Implications
The conflict in the Middle East has rattled financial markets and global energy prices have soared, with lawmakers saying they are unclear about Trump's plans after receiving a classified briefing from officials.
The Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon has been sent to bolster security at a British air base in Cyprus, after it was hit by drone strikes, according to a report by the BBC.
