The "special relationship" between Britain and the United States is showing new rifts in security cooperation. According to a report by the Financial Times, disagreements between Trump and Starmer over Iran have begun to affect day-to-day coordination among diplomats, bureaucrats, and military personnel on both sides. Sources familiar with the situation say that Trump’s recent public mockery of Starmer—calling him “not Churchill” and accusing him of “always wanting to join only after we’ve won”—has already chilled relations behind the scenes. Meanwhile, a small number of American officials stationed in UK government departments are now more frequently being asked to leave the room when sensitive information is discussed. Washington has also noted that the process for approving U.S. military aircraft using British bases has slowed recently, no longer as smoothly as before. The report states that Starmer’s unwillingness to allow U.S. forces to use British bases for the first wave of strikes against Iran has become a sensitive trigger point in bilateral relations.
It's not just the UK—today Italy’s government also refused permission for U.S. military aircraft involved in an Iran conflict to use its Sicilian air base, though Italian officials emphasized they did not reject all U.S. aircraft. Looking at recent divergences and actions taken by European countries such as Spain, France, the UK, and Italy regarding the Iran war, it is clear that the conflict is having profound implications for U.S.-Europe relations.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861236605531147/
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