U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not joining the strikes on Iran, deepening tensions in a relationship Starmer worked hard to strengthen. Trump called out Britain’s reluctance to allow U.S. warplanes to use British bases, saying it was not the kind of alliance he expected from a country that once stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in global conflicts.

Trans-Atlantic Ties Under Pressure

The dispute over Iran has roiled the U.S.-UK relationship, which has been under strain since Trump returned to power in 2025. Trump, known for his ‘America first’ foreign policy, has long been skeptical of traditional trans-Atlantic alliances, and his comments on Starmer signal a growing rift.

During an interview with the British tabloid The Sun, Trump said, ‘This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe. I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The U.K. has been much different from others.’

Starmer, who has been vocal in his support of Trump in the past, has taken a more cautious approach to the situation in the Middle East. He initially blocked U.S. planes from using British bases for attacks on Iran that began on Saturday. However, he later agreed to allow U.S. warplanes to use bases in England and on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to target Iran’s ballistic missiles and storage sites, but not to strike other targets.

A Defensive Stance in the Middle East

Even after a British base in Cyprus was struck by an Iran-made drone over the weekend, Starmer maintained that the United Kingdom would not participate in offensive action. Instead, the government has sent a Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Dragon, and Wildcat helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities to the region as part of ‘defensive operations.’

British forces have also shot down drones in Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, according to the government. Starmer emphasized that the UK would not engage in ‘regime change from the skies,’ stating that any actions must be lawful and have a ‘viable, thought-through plan.’

‘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,’ Starmer told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday.

The Financial Times has dubbed Starmer’s stance a ‘Love Actually moment,’ referencing the 2003 film where a British prime minister stood up to a U.S. president played by Billy Bob Thornton. This moment highlights the growing divide between the two leaders and the broader implications for trans-Atlantic relations.

Historic Friction Over Strategic Assets

Friction between Starmer and Trump has been building for months, with recent tensions over Greenland and Diego Garcia. Earlier this year, Trump’s threat to take over Greenland was condemned by Starmer and other European leaders. Recently, Trump criticized Britain’s agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius, despite his administration’s earlier support for the deal.

Peter Ricketts, a former head of the U.K. Foreign Office, told The Observer that under Trump, ‘the Americans have effectively given up on any effort to be consistent with international law.’ This is a red line for Starmer, a former barrister and chief prosecutor for England and Wales, who has consistently emphasized the importance of legal and ethical considerations in foreign policy decisions.

The spat is a setback for Starmer’s efforts to build a strong relationship with Trump since the president’s return to office. The British government even rolled out the red carpet for Trump during a state visit as the guest of King Charles III, and Starmer has praised Trump’s attempts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, albeit without success.

The Iran war has also divided European leaders, with some expressing support for the U.S. strikes and others condemning them. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte unreservedly approved of Trump’s decision to attack Iran and kill its supreme leader, calling the war crucial for Europe’s security. In contrast, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the strikes as ‘unjustifiable’ and ‘dangerous.’

Meanwhile, polling suggests that many Britons are skeptical of the U.S. justification for war. However, politicians on the right of Starmer’s Labour Party have criticized him for not joining the offensive. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party ‘stands behind America taking this necessary action against state-sponsored terror.’

Despite the growing tensions, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty denied that the U.S.-U.K. ‘special relationship’ was on the ropes. ‘Our relationship with the United States is strong,’ he said Tuesday in the House of Commons. ‘It has endured, it continues to endure, and it will endure into the future on both the economic and the security fronts.’