The United States could review its support for Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands as punishment for London’s refusal to back Donald Trump’s military action against Iran, according to a leaked Pentagon memo.
The confidential internal email, seen by Reuters, outlines options to penalise Nato allies who failed to support Washington’s offensive. Among the proposals is a reassessment of US diplomatic backing for European “imperial possessions”, including the Falklands, which Argentina also claims. The memo also considers suspending Spain from the alliance.
The leaked document lays bare tensions between the UK and the Trump administration. President Trump has criticised Sir Keir Starmer, branding him “no Winston Churchill” after Britain initially refused a request to allow US strikes against Iran from British bases. The US State Department currently notes the islands are administered by the UK but claimed by Argentina, whose president Javier Milei is a Trump ally.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the US War Department would ensure Mr Trump “has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger”. Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Nato, calling it a “paper tiger” and threatening to withdraw. The memo does not propose leaving the alliance or closing European bases, but an official declined to confirm whether a US troop drawdown from Europe was under consideration.
Britain and Argentina fought a war over the Falklands in 1982, in which 255 British troops and 650 Argentine soldiers died. The leaked memo underscores the fragile state of transatlantic relations as Mr Trump’s war on Iran continues to strain alliances.
