Donald Trump has rebuked Sir Keir Starmer’s reluctance ‘to get involved’ with conflict in Iran with a chilling eight-word message.
On February 28, the United States and Israel began a wave of air strikes on Iran in an offensive the US Defense Department has labelled ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
The conflict has now entered its fourth week, and reports suggest Washington is preparing for a “major escalation”.
As the situation develops, Australia’s Prime Minister has issued a pointed warning aimed at President Trump, while actor Rob Schneider has publicly raised the prospect of reintroducing conscription for younger people.
Trump, 79, has also kept up his attacks on the UK Prime Minister, focusing on Starmer’s initial decision not to allow the US to conduct strikes from British bases.
In earlier remarks, Trump argued Starmer was ‘not Winston Churchill and that the States’ relationship with the UK was ‘obviously not as it was’, as per The Guardian.
Starmer, 63, who has been Prime Minister since July 2024, has insisted he will not be pushed into changing course over Britain’s role in the Iran war, saying he would ‘not buckle under pressure’.
“I think I understand what’s happening, it’s to put pressure on me in different ways,” he claimed on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
“But that pressure isn’t going to make me waver. It’s not going to make me abandon my principles or values.”
In his latest outburst on Truth Social, Trump suggested the US should stop being expected to come to the UK’s aid, with a warning tied to energy disruption linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” the businessman wrote.
“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.
“Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT”.
Pete Hegseth, 45, the United States Secretary of War, also weighed in by questioning whether the UK’s naval forces should do more in the region.
“There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well,” he said at a press conference, as reported by The Independent.
“It is not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.”
He added: “[The] world ought to pay attention, to be prepared to stand up.”
On Tuesday (March 31), reports said Starmer was set to chair a Cobra meeting focused on the economic consequences of the fighting in the Middle East.
As per the BBC, the discussion would focus on ‘making sure that everything that we need to have in place, everything is monitored and audited properly’.
The planned meeting follows talks at Downing Street with representatives from the energy, shipping and banking sectors after Iran moved to halt tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most heavily used oil-shipping routes on the planet.
Roughly 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes through the strait, and about 3,000 vessels transit it each month.
In the US, the conflict has been followed by a sharp rise in fuel prices over recent weeks.
AAA figures show the national average reached close to $4.02 on Tuesday.
CNN also reported that US crude oil prices jumped by more than 50 percent during March.
Tom Kloza, an independent oil analyst, cautioned that $5 gas ‘is in the realm of possibility’.
“But I think they’d [the US government] pull out all the stops they can to stop that from happening, including gas tax holidays,” he added.