Donald Trump expressed disappointment with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially denying the U. S. permission to use the Diego Garcia air base for strikes on Iran.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Starmer later agreed to allow the U. S. to conduct “defensive” strikes against Iranian targets. In an interview, Trump said it took too long for Starmer to change his mind and pointed out that such a situation had not occurred between the U. S. and Britain before.
He believed Starmer should have approved the use of Diego Garcia sooner, noting Iran’s responsibility for the deaths of people from the UK. Since the air strikes against Iran began, Iran has retaliated by targeting Gulf countries with missiles and launched an Iranian-made drone that hit Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, causing minor damage.
Trump also mentioned it was advantageous for the U. S. to operate from Diego Garcia and criticized Starmer’s agreement regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
With information from Reuters
