London (TDI): The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, spoke on call with the United States’ President on Sunday; the first time since Trump criticized Starmer openly and directly on Saturday.
An official statement on the telephonic exchange did not reveal much except that the two talked about “military cooperation” in the Middle East through the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) bases.
Starmer and Trump discussed “the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defense of partners in the region.”
“The Prime Minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers,” the statement added.
📞 The Prime Minister spoke with President Trump earlier today.
The leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and military cooperation between the UK & US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region. 👇…
— British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) March 8, 2026
Drifting away from its earlier reluctance, the UK’s Ministry of Defense recently said in a statement that the aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is being readied and kept on high preparedness. The carrier is one of the two flagship UK carriers.
However, the statement did not reveal if and when the carrier will be deployed. Following the Ministry’s statement, Trump openly mocked the United Kingdom and Starmer more specifically, writing in a post on Truth Social.
“The United Kingdom, our oncte Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!“
Read More: UK to send Four Additional Typhoon Jets to Qatar, Starmer Announced
The UK maintains any involvement in the Iran conflict will purely be on defensive basis. This aligns with the first joint statement by UK, France, and Germany that surfaced after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
In the statement, the E3 contended that their support will only be a “proportionate defensive action,” because by virtue of being NATO members, these countries are expected to invoke collective defense postures.
Starmer has largely remained reluctant to jump into the war, citing UK’s national interest, and maintaining that any involvement will be to protect British citizens in the Gulf countries.
The conflict, now in a second week, has so far killed 1,332 people in Iran, while seven service members of the United States have also been killed.
