Reference News, March 12 report: According to the website of the UK's Financial Times, on March 9, the UK has abandoned its plan to dispatch the "Prince of Wales" aircraft carrier to the Middle East. This came after US President Trump mocked UK Prime Minister Starmer, saying that Starmer wanted to join the war against Iran only after a victory.
UK officials said that the aircraft carrier currently docked in Portsmouth was not prepared for actions related to Iran. "There is no decision to deploy it," Downing Street said.
Previously, the UK Ministry of Defence had placed the carrier and its crew on high alert, so that they could sail within five days of receiving notice.
The UK Ministry of Defence said on the 7th: "The 'Prince of Wales' has been on high alert, and we are increasing the carrier's combat readiness to shorten the time required for deployment."
Some UK officials said that the UK had never planned to send this carrier to the Middle East, but rather to prepare it for NATO military operations, with plans to deploy it to the Arctic region. However, other officials insisted that the Ministry of Defence suddenly ordered the carrier's combat readiness to be adjusted last week, in order for the government to have an option to deploy the carrier to the eastern Mediterranean or further away.
Trump posted on social media on the 7th: "Britain, our once-great ally, perhaps the greatest, finally seriously considers sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East."
"No problem, Prime Minister Starmer, we no longer need them - but we'll remember. We don't need someone to join the war after we've won!"
The UK's other aircraft carrier, the "Queen Elizabeth" is undergoing refit and therefore cannot be deployed.
Starmer's aides denied that the UK changed the deployment plan of the "Prince of Wales" carrier because of Trump's remarks, and insisted that the call between the two leaders on the 8th was "constructive."
It is reported that the two leaders are trying to restore relations. In the previous week, the White House had been criticizing the UK for refusing to take more action to support the US-Israel strike against Iran.
Additionally, the UK's "Dragon" destroyer is expected to head to the Mediterranean this week to protect Britain's interests in the region.
Public opinion polls show that most Britons support Starmer's decision not to participate in the US-Israel strike against Iran. Latest data from YouGov shows that 59% of people oppose the military action, up 10 percentage points from the 2nd. (Translated by Yang Xinpeng)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7616273392778199587/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.