By Ginika Igboke
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on March 8 about the ongoing war in Iran, just over a week after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.
“The leaders began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and U.S. through the use of Royal Air Force bases in support of the collective self-defense of partners in the region,” a spokeswoman for Starmer’s office said in a statement.
“The Prime Minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six U.S. soldiers,” the spokesperson added.
Shortly after the statement was released, United States Central Command revealed that a seventh American service member had died in the conflict with Iran, which began on Feb. 28.
The March 8 conversation came one day after Trump publicly criticized Starmer and the United Kingdom in a post on Truth Social.
“The United Kingdom, our once great ally, maybe the greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer—but we will remember. We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won!”
The UK did not participate in the initial attacks on Iran and described Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region as “dangerous.”
Starmer initially called for peace talks when the conflict erupted. However, on March 1 the United Kingdom allowed the United States to use British military bases in the region to strike locations where Iranian missiles were stored and launched.
Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and thousands of one-way attack drones across the region over the past week.
On March 8, United States Central Command warned Iranian civilians to remain indoors, stating that the Iranian regime was launching attack drones and ballistic missiles from densely populated areas in cities such as Dezful, Isfahan, and Shiraz.
“Iran’s terrorist regime is blatantly disregarding civilian lives by attacking Gulf partners while compromising the safety of their own people,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of United States Central Command.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom have also worked to evacuate tens of thousands of their citizens who were in the Middle East when the conflict began on Feb. 28.
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