Donald Trump hinted he might not support the United Kingdom in the dispute over the Falkland Islands with Argentina because the UK refused to send warships to assist the US in its conflict with Iran.
On Thursday, 3 Sep 2026 GMT+7, US President Donald Trump signaled that he might not intervene to help the UK in any future conflict with Argentina over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, citing Britain's lack of support for the US war against Iran.
In an interview with GB News, the US president said the UK “was not there to help me” in the US war with Iran, although he later added that his military did not require any assistance.
Trump’s latest remarks follow earlier statements in which he said the US might reconsider its neutral position on Falkland Islands sovereignty if the UK did not increase its defense budget.
Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei is scheduled to make a televised statement on Thursday night asserting what he described as his nation’s “historical” claim to the islands.
The Falkland Islands, located in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, remain a source of sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina, more than 40 years after the war over control of the territory.
When asked whether he would assist the UK if a dispute arose over the Falkland Islands, Trump told GB News, “Listen, I was there during their first war.”
“That was a long time ago, and I have been watching closely. You all handled it very well; you took it back very strongly. But it’s very far away.”
Turning to the current US conflict with Iran, Trump added, “Your country hasn’t done very well. Remember, you get a large percentage of your oil from the Strait of Hormuz, but you weren’t there to help me.”
“Your country wasn’t there to help me. We don’t need help, but I asked NATO and your former leaders, ‘Why don’t you send a couple of ships?’”
Trump claimed that then-UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told him “there were no ships available,” which he described as quite sad. He added, “NATO wasn’t there, even though most of those countries receive the majority of their oil from there. So we did this on our own.”
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Source:bbc