Trump Criticises UK as London Considers Carrier Deployment to Middle East

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Britain is considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East but insisted the United States no longer needs British support to win the war with Iran, highlighting growing tensions between the longtime military allies.

In a message posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United Kingdom was now weighing a stronger military role in the conflict.

“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump said.

He added that the United States had already made significant progress in the war effort and questioned the value of any late involvement from Britain.

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer,” Trump wrote. “But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”

The comments came shortly after the president attended a solemn ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the remains of the first six US service members killed in the Middle East conflict were returned to the United States.

British media have reported that the Royal Navy is preparing the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, currently based at Portsmouth in southern England, for a possible deployment to the region. Officials in London have said the vessel is being readied as part of contingency planning, though a final decision on sending the carrier has not yet been taken.

The British Ministry of Defence confirmed on Saturday that preparations were underway but stressed that no formal deployment order had been issued.

A British official said discussions were ongoing as the government assessed the evolving situation in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced pressure both domestically and from allies over the level of British involvement in the conflict. Earlier in the crisis, his government declined to allow US forces to use British bases for the initial strikes on Iran, arguing that any military action had to be clearly justified and legally sound.

Starmer later approved the use of British bases for operations targeting Iranian missile launchers and storage facilities, which he described as defensive actions designed to reduce the threat of further attacks.

Trump has publicly criticised the British government’s approach to the conflict in recent days. He said he was “not happy with the UK” and mocked the prime minister, remarking that “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

Relations between the two leaders have been strained at times. Starmer earlier criticised Trump’s suggestion that the United States should purchase Greenland and condemned remarks in which Trump claimed European troops avoided frontline combat during the war in Afghanistan, calling the comments “frankly appalling.”

Despite the political tensions, the United States and the United Kingdom remain close military partners and key members of NATO, with their armed forces cooperating in numerous operations around the world.