Trump says ‘very disappointed’ with Starmer for initially blocking use of air bases

Donald Trump

Donald Trump ​said he was “very ‌disappointed” with British Prime ​Minister Keir ⁠Starmer for not allowing the U.S. to use the Diego ‌Garcia air base to carry out ‌strikes on Iran, ‌the ⁠Daily Telegraph quoted ⁠the U.S. President as saying in an interview.

Britain had ​initially denied ‌the U.S. permission to conduct air strikes from its bases, but on ‌Sunday (March 1, 2026) evening, Mr. Starmer ​said he was accepting a request for ⁠their use in any “defensive strikes” the U.S. wanted ‌to make against Iranian targets.

Trump told the British newspaper on Monday (March 2, 2026) that it took “too long” for ‌Starmer to change his ​mind.

“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” ⁠he told The Telegraph, ⁠adding: “It sounds like he was worried ‌about the legality.”

However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that his country has accepted a U.S. request to use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers.

"The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region," he said in a video message on X.

Starmer reiterated that Britain was not involved in the joint U.S.-Israel air strikes on Iran that killed the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday, adding that Britain would not join further waves of strikes.

But he said Iran had retaliated by launching sustained attacks across the region and its missiles had hit airports and hotels where British citizens were staying.

(With agency inputs)