London, June 17, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – Donald Trump has taken a further sideswipe at the UK, for refusing to be drawn into the Iran conflict.
The US president renewed his criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as he pointed out countries now wanted to be involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz but ânot while the war was going on.â
He made his comments after saying the US, did not need Britain and other European allies to send minesweepers to the waterway, but if they did it would be âgood.â
Leaders at the G7 summit backed the UK-French-led effort, to enable shipping to pass safely through the critical Gulf waterway once hostilities with Iran ended. The proposed defensive mission includes the deployment of autonomous mine-hunting equipment.
An interim peace deal to end the nearly four-month-long war between the US and Iran, along with Ukraine, topped the agenda at this weekâs meeting of heads from the G7 group of leading democracies in Evian, France.
Asked at a news conference about the need for the help of other countries, he said: âWe donât need it. âOh, by the way, they all want to do it. They all want to do it, every single one of them. âThey want to go be a part of it now, not while the war was going on. âI was really disappointed. âThe UK, I said âitâd be niceâ, I didnât put a hard sell on, but I said âitâd be nice if you sent some shipsâ, and the Prime Minister said âtheyâll be there, sir, as soon as the war is overâ. âI said, âDid you say that?â I couldnât believe it, actually.â
Trump also criticized Japan for not being willing to be drawn into the war. He said, ânobody did, we did it ourselves with Israel and with the Arab states that got hit, surprisingly.â
Earlier, speaking during talks with Indiaâs Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump was asked whether he wanted European allies to send minesweepers to the strait. Responding, the president said, âwe donât need them but if they want to send them, I think itâs good.â Pressed over which nations would be contributing, Trump said, âthe ones that have that kind of equipment, but every one of them have committed to being involved.â
At the summit, Starmer and his counterparts welcomed Trumpâs âbreakthroughâ agreement with Tehran, but underlined the need for a ârobust and comprehensiveâ follow-up accord âthat can bring peace and security for all in the regionâ. As part of this, they highlighted further negotiation was required to ensure Iran can ânever obtain a nuclear weaponâ.
The US-Iran agreement will be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday. As well as reopening the Strait of Hormuz, it is widely reported the deal will allow Iran to start selling its oil without restrictions. It also holds out the prospect of providing at least $300 billion to Iran to rebuild after the war, although it is understood this would be subject to a final agreement being concluded on its nuclear programme, as would the lifting of sanctions and the release of assets frozen abroad.
Trump has said the US was ânot putting up 10 centsâ for the fund and it remains unclear how it would be bankrolled. The move to allow Iran to sell its oil freely immediately, and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions, represent major concessions that go beyond the terms of Iranâs 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from in his first term, branding it the âworst deal everâ.
In the interim deal, Iran reiterates it will never produce nuclear weapons, a promise it also made in the 2015 accord. The new pact is likely to face criticism in Washington, and appears to be a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the military offensive with Trump on February 28.
The deal calls for an immediate end to all fighting in Lebanon, between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
GNA