US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was "very disappointed" with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the delay in approving the use of the Diego Garcia military base for strikes on Iran.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Trump criticized the Prime Minister’s initial refusal to allow American forces to operate from the Chagos Islands base, describing the episode as unprecedented in relations between the two countries.
“That’s probably never happened between our countries before," Trump said, adding that it "sounds like he was worried about the legality."
Britain had initially declined to authorize the use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, citing international law concerns. On Sunday night, however, Starmer reversed course and granted permission for US access to Diego Garcia for what he described as "specific and limited defensive purposes."
Trump said the change in position came too late. “It took far too much time. Far too much time," he stated.
The dispute over the base also affected Trump’s stance on the proposed Chagos Islands agreement, under which Britain would transfer sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius while leasing back the military facility. Trump told The Telegraph he opposed the arrangement, calling it "a very woke thing."
“All of a sudden, [Mauritius] was claiming ownership. He should have fought it out and owned it, or made him take it, if you want to know the truth. But no, we were very disappointed in Keir," Trump said.
Two days into US strikes on Iran, Trump said the military campaign was progressing faster than expected. “We always anticipated four weeks," he told The Telegraph. “We also anticipated two to three weeks to take out some of the leadership, but we’ve taken out all of it in one day. So that was well ahead of schedule."
The President added that Iran’s leaders were seeking a ceasefire agreement. “They want to make a deal badly. I said you should have made it a week ago," he said.
Trump suggested that approval for the use of Diego Garcia should have been immediate, arguing that Iran was responsible for severe harm to British citizens. “[There are] people without arms and legs and faces that have been blown up. Iran is 95 per cent of those. Those horrible events were caused by Iran," he said.
Starmer has not authorized British forces to participate directly in the US-Israeli offensive, despite expressing support for efforts to neutralize Iranian attack capabilities.