Donald Trump has said Britain and other allies “just had a bad moment” in not joining the US in the war against Iran, but struck a more conciliatory note at the end of the Nato summit in Turkey, stressing there had been “unification” among leaders.
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, the US president said there had been “tremendous love in that room” and that the summit had produced “tremendous unification”. He tempered earlier criticism of the UK and other Nato members over their response to the Middle East conflict.
Trump’s Criticism of UK Response
Trump had previously lambasted Britain for refusing to give the US free rein in its use of UK military bases to carry out attacks against Iran, with permission limited to defensive strikes on missile sites. Washington also scorned a planned UK and French-led mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz waterway once hostilities ended.
“Almost all of the countries have been good. They just had a bad moment. They didn’t help us. We didn’t need the help, but if we would have wanted the help,” Trump said. He added that he did not like allies saying they “would rather remain on the sidelines”.
“The UK gave an answer that was sort of weirder than that. I said ‘Would you like to help?’ They said ‘We do, but we want to wait till the war is over’. This was not in the spirit of Winston Churchill,” Trump said.
Shift to Praise at Summit
But referring to the Nato summit, Trump said: “I can only say if there’s one word that comes out of today, it’s unification. I’ve never seen anything like it. Every one of those countries, they love us, they love each other. That was tremendous unification.”
His remarks chimed with those of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said Nato was “stronger and more united” following the summit.
Trump Claims He Is Iran’s ‘Number One Target’
Trump also revealed he was “number one on the kill list for Iran”, having faced threats from Tehran even before the recent conflict. He warned he may be assassinated by the regime. “I’m their number one because they’re scum. That’s the way they act, and that’s the way they’ve done it for 47 years,” he said.
The Justice Department in 2024 announced that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.
Aircraft Switch Raises Security Questions
Speculation over security concerns surrounded Trump’s decision to switch planes for the return journey from Turkey to Britain, using an older Air Force One aircraft rather than the new presidential jet donated by Qatar. The trip to Ankara was the first international trip for the new plane.
Trump had said on Truth Social that he would use the older plane “for old time’s sake” to fly to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, while the new plane visits the same US airbase to allow service personnel stationed there to tour the plane. Mildenhall is a main refuelling station for military and VIP aircraft.
When asked directly if security concerns played a role in the plane change, Trump did not answer directly. “It’s a very dangerous profession. I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” he said. “I don’t really care, because I’m doing my job, and I’m doing it, I hope, better than anybody’s ever done it.”
Pressed further, he said the switch was “so the soldiers can see it, because it’s truly magnificent”. Pictures of the new jet show it is not equipped with some of the same missile-detection and countermeasure systems as the older aircraft. A second aircraft that can operate as Air Force One is always on standby during presidential trips.
