Trump describes UK aircraft carriers as 'toys' in latest anti-Nato jibe

Source: The Guardian

Trump describes UK aircraft carriers as ‘toys’ in latest anti-Nato jibe

US president says he is ‘very disappointed’ as he again lashes out at allies’ lack of involvement in Iran war

Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor
Thu 26 Mar 2026 18.37 GMT
First published on Thu 26 Mar 2026 17.49 GMT

Donald Trump has dismissed British warships as “toys” in his latest jibe at Nato countries for their lack of involvement in the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, he claimed he had told the UK: “Don’t bother, we don’t need it.”

Trump has previously alleged that he requested two aircraft carriers from the UK that Keir Starmer had initially rejected and then offered to send. No 10 has denied that a request was made or denied.

The prime minister has said he would not permit UK bases to be used for offensive strikes against the Iranian regime, but bases including Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands can be used for defensive strikes to combat Iran’s retaliation.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/26/donald-trump-uk-aircraft-carriers-toys-nato-keir-starmer-iran