In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, US President Donald Trump said that Britain had "lost too much time" agreeing to allow US forces to use military bases.
According to diplomatic sources, in the first US-Israel coalition raid on February 28, the British side did not allow the US to use the strategic base Diego Garcia or any military airport under British management. The core reason came from Prime Minister Starmer's concerns about the legality of these preemptive strikes.
However, the situation turned dramatically on the evening of March 1. After Iran rained "rain" of missiles and drones in retaliation against a series of targets in the Middle East, including a British airbase in Cyprus, Mr. Starmer was forced to change his position.
However, Mr. Trump affirmed that this pivot is "too late" and unprecedented in the history of cooperation between the two superpowers. "It seems that he (Keir Starmer) is more concerned about legal procedures than acting decisively," the US President bluntly commented.
Besides the issue of war, Mr. Trump also publicly expressed his disappointment with the British government's agreement to hand over sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - a step to protect the position of the Diego Garcia base.
The US President called this a wrong and disappointing "awakening" action. He argued that Britain should have retained ownership instead of giving it to parties that are "not legal owners". Currently, the bill on this agreement is being suspended in the British Parliament after Mr. Trump changed his initial support attitude to strong opposition.
Regarding the progress of the Iranian military campaign, Mr. Trump affirmed that everything is happening "beyond plan". "We expected it would take 2 to 3 weeks to dismantle the Iranian leadership, but in fact it wiped everything out in just one day," he added.
Although Washington's ultimate goal is still vague - between inciting an internal uprising of the Iranian people or forcing successors to the negotiating table, Mr. Trump still insists that this campaign is creating globally shocking results.
