Trump ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Delay on Diego Garcia Use for Iran Strikes

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday stated that he is “very disappointed” in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over what he described as an unprecedented delay in granting US forces permission to use the Diego Garcia base for strikes on Iran.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Trump said Starmer’s initial refusal to allow American operations from the strategically vital Indian Ocean base was unlike anything that had occurred between the two allies before.

“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” Trump said, suggesting the British leader had been concerned about the legal basis for such action. “It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”

The dispute centered on access to Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands territory, which hosts a key joint US-UK military facility. Britain had initially denied US permission to conduct strikes from Diego Garcia and from RAF Fairford, citing international law concerns.

However, on Sunday night, Starmer reversed course and authorized US access to Diego Garcia for what Downing Street described as “specific and limited defensive purposes.” Trump nonetheless criticized the delay, saying the prime minister “took far too long” to change his position.

The disagreement also prompted Trump to withdraw support for Starmer’s controversial Chagos sovereignty arrangement, under which Britain would transfer ownership of the islands to Mauritius while leasing back the military base.

The US president called the deal “a very woke thing” and argued that the UK should have retained ownership outright.

“All of a sudden, [Mauritius] was claiming ownership. He should have fought it out and owned it,” Trump told the newspaper, adding that Washington was “very disappointed in Keir.”

Two days into the US military campaign against Iran, Trump said operations were “well ahead of schedule.” He argued that Britain should have supported immediate US access to Diego Garcia, asserting that Iran was responsible for numerous attacks that had harmed British personnel in the past, though he did not cite specific incidents.

The row has also drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers in Washington, some of whom reportedly expressed frustration over the delay in granting access to British facilities.

Shortly after Starmer authorized US use of the bases, an Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. British servicemen received alerts warning of a “security threat,” and explosions were heard near Limassol. There were no reported casualties, but the UK Ministry of Defense has since relocated families of service members stationed at the base.

Despite backing efforts to neutralize Iranian missile and drone capabilities “at source,” Starmer has not authorized British forces to join the US-Israeli offensive directly.

The diplomatic friction highlights the strain on the traditionally close US-UK defense partnership as the conflict with Iran deepens, raising complex legal, political, and strategic questions for London as it balances alliance commitments with domestic and international considerations.