US should judge UK on its actions in Gulf, not on Trump’s social posts, says defence secretary | US-Israel war on Iran
Britain’s actions in the Gulf, rather than Donald Trump’s social media posts, should form the basis of the US’s judgment of the country’s value, Britain’s defense secretary has said.
Speaking at a conference in London, John Healey said the UK’s recent efforts “speak for themselves” as Keir Starmer flew home after a trip that included discussing with Donald Trump how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as well as meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“Even in this current conflict, the base permissions we agreed with the US in the UK were invaluable to their military operations,” Healey said, adding: “If we focus on our actions rather than just the exchange of words and social media posts, then for me the bases remain.”
Before the ceasefire, which Trump announced late on Tuesday and in which Starmer said he believed the countries in the region were “fragile”, Britain had called on military planners from 35 countries on ways to secure the strait, including the removal of Iranian mines, in the event of peace.
Speaking to broadcasters in Doha, Starmer revealed details of his meeting with the US president on Thursday evening. “I had a meeting with President Trump last night and gave him the views of the region. These Gulf countries are Iran’s neighbors and therefore if the ceasefire is to continue – as we hope it will – it must include them as well,” the Prime Minister said.
“He has very strong views on the Strait of Hormuz. We spent most of our time talking about the practical plan that would be needed to enable navigation in the strait and the role the UK plays.”
In addition to ensuring that the sea route is safe, Starmer emphasized that the possibility of Iran imposing taxes on ships passing there should be avoided. Earlier this week, Trump floated the idea of a “joint venture” between the US and Iran to set tolls.
Starmer, who started his meetings with various Gulf leaders, said that they also shared this view and that they were concerned about the ceasefire, which was under threat due to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon, and warned that Iran could retaliate.
“Obviously, the discussion very quickly moved towards a ceasefire; a very strong feeling that the ceasefire was fragile, that more work was needed, that the Strait of Hormuz had to be part of the solution, that there could be no charges or restrictions on navigation,” he said.
Trump expressed his anger at the lack of support from NATO members for the attacks on Iran and once again threatened the future of the alliance. Reports It has been revealed that Washington plans to audit NATO members to decide whether any of them should be punished for lack of support during the war in Iran.
Starmer acknowledged that it was important for European NATO members to “do more” but stressed that the alliance was “in America’s interest”.
“We are very strong supporters of NATO and I have long argued that we need to do more,” he said. “This is the most effective military alliance the world has ever known.
“NATO is a defense alliance that has kept us much safer than we would otherwise be for decades. So we are strong supporters of NATO. We will always be strong supporters of NATO.”
