Donald Trump’s Pentagon officials are exploring ways the United States could punish NATO countries for failing to support the Iran war, including reportedly reviewing Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands. The options were detailed in an email that targeted some NATO members for denying US access, basing and overflight rights to the Middle East war, an official told Reuters news agency.
One option included in the message is to consider reevaluating US diplomatic support for European “imperial properties” such as the Falkland Islands. The archipelago is a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, long claimed by Argentina. Following the invasion of Argentina’s islands in 1982, Britain launched a war against Argentina to protect its sovereignty. Argentina’s current leader, Javier Miley, is one of Mr Trump’s staunchest allies.
Britain initially refused to allow the US to attack Iran from its two bases in Britain. The Labor government later authorized defensive operations to protect British interests in the Gulf amid retaliatory Iranian air attacks.
The US president has repeatedly tried to increase pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to do more to aid the White House’s war effort.
Mr Trump had earlier claimed Sir Keir was a coward and “no Winston Churchill” in a bid to sour US-UK relations. He has also criticized NATO members for not helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks.
Britain’s Ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said last week that Britain would make a major military contribution to international efforts to protect navigation in the strait.
The UK is leading an international effort to ensure the future security of the shipping lane, through which in normal times 20% of the world’s hydrocarbon supplies would flow.
Mr Trump has long complained about contributions made by fellow NATO members, arguing that the US is economically influencing other countries.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stressed that the United States’ European allies had provided an “enormous amount of support” to the US during the Iran conflict and had met their commitments.
The US President had earlier threatened to pull his country out of the long-standing security alliance, calling it a “paper tiger”.
But the memo does not call for the US to pull out or close its military bases in Europe, according to reports.
