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OPINION - JAMES KNUCKEY: It appears just maybe Donald Trump does need Washington's allies, including the UK.
12:04, Tue, Mar 17, 2026 Updated: 12:16, Tue, Mar 17, 2026
President Donald Trump has again slammed Sir Keir Starmer's response to the Iran war (Image: Getty)
“We don't need anybody,” Donald Trump told a press conference on Monday in his usual style. “We're the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world.”
Moments later, he blasted Sir Keir Starmer for his “terrible” response to the Iran war and failing to send, as requested, two aircraft carriers seemingly before the conflict broke out. The irony is not lost on some. And despite Mr Trump’s continued tough talk, it appears just maybe the US does need the UK and its allies after all.
HMS Prince of Wales is getting ready to deploy to the High North. (Image: Getty)
His call for partners to send warships to the Gulf to end Iran’s crippling de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has so far fallen on deaf ears, despite claiming the Tehran regime has been “obliterated”.
Mr Trump’s request for the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carriers was a non-starter for several reasons.
Firstly, Britain has from the start had no appetite to join the strikes and is not obliged to kowtow to the White House’s wishes, despite the UK-US ‘special relationship’ that the Government and sources insist remains strong despite the tensions.
Deploying both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales to the region simultaneously, in the service’s current sorry state, is likely impossible.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is in long-term maintenance, while HMS Prince of Wales is preparing to deploy on a NATO patrol of the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap — an area of significant concern to Mr Trump.
Cast your mind back to February 2025, when Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth made the Trump administration’s priorities crystal clear.
He said the US was no longer “primarily focused” on Europe and had to focus on threats in other regions, urging NATO’s European allies to step up to defend the continent.
The US has held up their end of the bargain with the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and now the major military action against Iran.
The pending mission of HMS Prince of Wales to our strategic backyard is an important reminder that the UK — despite its well-documented defence issues (see HMS Dragon’s deployment fiasco for reference) — is attempting to hold up its own.
Mr Trump’s jabs at the UK and Sir Keir suggest that, despite Britain’s defence woes, we remain appreciated and valued.
He said the UK "should be involved enthusiastically" in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while also claiming, in part, his requests are just a test to "find out how they react".
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The unfortunate truth is Britain doesn’t have tonnes to offer, and Sir Keir has made it clear he has no interest in being dragged into a “wider war” — something polling suggests the public generally backs.
Nobody will deny the UK has got a lot wrong on defence over the years, but is potentially following Mr Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu into a war which seems to lack a clear endgame, and many fear is an unlawful one of them? I’d need some convincing.
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