The “Special Relationship” appears alive and well. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer conveyed Britain’s support for President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran when the two spoke on Sunday, June 22, to discuss the situation in the Middle East, and what comes next. The British readout for the call reports that the two leaders “reiterated the grave risk posed by Iran’s nuclear programme to international security. They discussed the actions taken by the United States last night to reduce the threat, and agreed that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.” The two put the onus on Iran to “return to the negotiating table as soon as possible,” and “agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days.”
Is the bombing really about Iran? Allister Heath, Editor of the Sunday Telegraph, suggests not, in his “From the Editor” Newsletter today. He writes that The Telegraph’s Chief U.S. Correspondent Rob Crilly views the U.S. strikes on Iran as “the most consequential day of Mr. Trump’s second term so far. And alarm bells are ringing not just for Iran—as the U.S. President threatens further attacks—but for Moscow and Beijing.” He quotes Crilly:
“The bombs today struck Iran. But it is a message that will be heard in Moscow and Beijing: If I offer you a deal, take it or the consequences will be fast and fiery. And it was a message to anyone who had called TACO—`Trump always chickens out’—on Thursday [June 19] when he said he would make his decision on whether to strike Iran within two weeks. Just because he had given Iran extra time to make a deal, it didn’t mean he was bottling the use of force.”
