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Good morning. Another week, another tirade against the UK from Donald Trump. The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has further inflamed tensions in the special relationship, which was already under strain from attacks by the capricious US leader. So far this week, Trump has once again mocked the UK’s navy, instructed allies worried about jet fuel supplies to take it from the strait of Hormuz themselves, and announced that the US is considering leaving Nato.
The outbursts have become a pattern since the war with Iran began – and mark a departure from the unlikely friendly relationship Starmer and Trump have enjoyed until now.
But why, exactly? To understand why the special relationship has become the focus of Trump’s irritation, I spoke with David Smith, the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief. But first, the headlines.
Five big stories
Middle East | Donald Trump used a prime-time address to the nation to declare the month-long war in Iran a success “nearing completion”, despite a spiralling conflict that has caused economic turmoil across the globe, fractured transatlantic alliances and eroded the president’s approval ratings.
UK politics | The UK will seek an even deeper partnership with the EU because of the instability wreaked by Donald Trump’s war with Iran, Keir Starmer has said, adding that the moment called for a more ambitious deal with Brussels.
Nasa | Nasa’s moon rocket Artemis II launched on Wednesday evening, carrying astronauts to the moon for the first time in almost 54 years.
BBC | The BBC confirmed in a statement it was first made aware of a police investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse by Scott Mills in 2017.
NHS | Claims by Palantir that concerns over the US data analytics company’s multimillion-pound NHS contract are “ideologically motivated” have been rejected by the chair of a parliamentary committee.
In depth: ‘This is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it’
The UK, more than any other US ally, has been singled out for criticism by the Trump administration since the beginning of the war with Iran. President Trump has dismissed British prime minister Keir Starmer as “no Winston Churchill”, repeatedly mocked London’s military capability, and criticised the UK’s hesitance to approve the use of its airbases for US operations in the Middle East.
Rather than railing against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, who is believed to be providing support to Iran, America’s allies – Germany, France and Spain – have also earned the US president’s ire: becoming the subject of his irate monologues to television cameras in Washington DC. European nations have been firm in their stance on the conflict: they will not join the US and Israel in their attacks on Tehran.
But Starmer’s hesitance appears to have angered Trump above all else. There are obvious parallels to the Suez Crisis in 1956, when Britain and France were forced to withdraw from Egypt under pressure from the US and the Soviet Union after they invaded the key transport route to confront Arab nationalist president President Abdel Nasser.
“We cannot, in the world any more than in our own nation, subscribe to one law for the weak, another law for the strong; one law for those opposing us, another for those allied with us,” President Eisenhower said at the time. It seems like the shoe is on the other foot in 2026.
Starmer, for his part, has been cautious not to criticise Trump in public, insisting “this is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it”. On Wednesday, he said that the UK would pursue closer ties with the EU in light of the conflict.
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When affection turns to tension
David thinks part of Trump’s focus on the UK is because of Trump’s genuine affection for the UK.
“I think Britain is the first ally he thinks of. It is the special relationship, supposedly the closest ally,” he says.
“Of all the countries in the world, Britain is the one he feels a certain kinship with because his mother was Scottish. He’s of the generation that grew up with second world war movies and he’s locked in with that idea of Britain and America together. He has Winston Churchill’s bust in the Oval Office. There’s Reagan and Thatcher, Bush and Blair. These are the cultural touchstones that he reaches for,” says David.
But sometimes with closeness, comes entitlement, explains David.
“There is a certain arrogance of taking Britain for granted. Whatever uncertainties there are in the world, there’s a feeling that Britain will unswervingly and unquestioningly back the US in any operation. Trump would be aware of the very close military and intelligence partnership. That makes the perceived betrayal all the harsher when Britain is suddenly not a lapdog,” he says.
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A very fine line
A lot does hinge on the special relationship being maintained. On the part of the UK and European countries, there is a fine line to walk. The continent’s collective security remains heavily dependent on the US’s military might – and there is little sign of that changing in the short term. The UK government, like other European countries, does not want to get involved in an unpopular and seemingly directionless war with Iran, but they cannot afford a deeper rupture with the US.
For the US, the Iran conflict has been a lesson in the limits of its power: they still need the support of allies in Europe, the Gulf and around the world to project their strength.
At the end of this month, King Charles will visit the US. Trump has promised the UK head of state a banquet dinner at the White House to mark the 250th anniversary of the USA. Many diplomats will be hoping that the fighting in Iran has finished by the time the king arrives in the US capital.
Whatever the state of the war by the time the banquet begins, King Charles will almost certainly dine with an unpopular US leader. Trump’s ratings sank to an all time low in his second term in March. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll found his approval rating was just 33%, with skyrocketing prices, a falling stock market and an unpopular war in Iran to blame. Even for Trump, it would be a stretch to blame that on the UK and the US’s European allies. The consequences of the war are becoming apparent to many Americans.
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An unpopular President
While the consequences of the fighting in Iran are not biting as they have been in Europe and Asia, fuel prices have risen and the consequences are starting to appear on television news.
“You see people interviewed on TV complaining about gas prices, which are now topping $4 a gallon. America is such a car country that’s always an absolutely huge barometer,” says David. But he cautions that the impacts of the Iran war have not cut through with the American public in the same way as Europe.
“Anecdotally, Fox News went to a beach in California and people had no idea of the difference between Iran or Iraq. They didn’t know what the whole thing was about. I suspect that a lot of people are not really engaged as it’s far away,” he says.
With no sign of a negotiated end to the fighting, Trump signalled this week that the US could exit the conflict without an agreement with Iran, potentially leaving other countries to pick up the pieces. The UK will host talks in the coming days between 35 countries about re-opening the strait of Hormuz as a result of this threat.
David says that this appears to be an increasingly likely outcome of the conflict – which might heap further strain on the transatlantic alliance.
“I wonder if consciously or otherwise, it becomes very convenient for America to turn on its heels and disappear from Iran, and say ‘OK, you guys get on with it. We’ve done the hard work,’” says David. “On one level, it would be a concession that it’s gone badly for America and they can’t handle it any more. But in a very cynical Trump fashion, he may think to himself in terms of the alternative reality he can project on Fox news where he can say he won the war and it’s not America’s problem any more.”
What else we’ve been reading
Keith Stuart makes me feel sad I did not attend the Friday Late celebration of video game play and performance at the V&A, where, he says, players get to envisage games placed between renaissance paintings. Martin
Even though they can be a disaster for wildlife, balloon releases to mark birthdays and special celebrations are more popular than ever in the UK. Is it time to consider a ban to protect nature? Patrick
By leaning heavily on rap lyrics and racist dog whistles, Texas prosecutors managed to drown out mitigating evidence that might have spared James Broadnax from the death penalty. Ed Pilkington reports. Martin
Love it or hate it, reformer pilates is everywhere. Anita Chaudhuri interrogates the truth behind the divisive fitness trend. Patrick
Monocle spoke with mayors from Europe and London’s deputy mayor for housing Tom Copley about the challenges facing their constituents and how they’re working to improve urban living conditions. Martin
Sport
Cricket | The MCC has ruled out buying or investing in Middlesex as their long-term tenants at Lord’s begin another season in a state of crisis.
Football | Lamine Yamal has criticised “intolerable” chants by Spain fans during a friendly against Egypt in Barcelona that police are investigating for Islamophobia and xenophobia.
Football | Jacob Steinberg runs the rule over how England’s 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup squad is shaping up after the winless March friendlies.
The front pages
“Trump ‘absolutely’ considering taking US out of Nato alliance” is the Guardian splash. “Furious Trump threatens to withdraw US from Nato” is top story at the Times, the Mail says “Now Trump goes to war on Nato” and the Telegraph headlines “Trump: US could quit Nato”. The FT leads on “Starmer leans towards Brussels after Trump’s taunts sap transatlantic trust” and the i Paper splashes on “Europe fears Putin will start a new war after Trump’s threat to quit Nato”. The Sun runs “Stacey & Joe’s sham wedding” and the Mirror says “This is amazing” about SMA testing.
Today in focus
‘Tinder for Nazis’ and the woman who hacked it
Anonymous activist Martha Root on how she hacked into, and took down, a dating site for white supremacists. With reporting from investigative journalist Eva Hoffman.
Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
In Mozambique, scientists are turning bat droppings into a powerful tool for conservation – and for local communities. By analysing DNA in guano in Gorongosa national park, researchers can track entire ecosystems without disturbing wildlife. The findings show bats “feed on insects – including mosquitoes … and pests”, helping protect crops and human health. The aim is practical as well as scientific: “We want a scientific base to convince the community” to protect caves and habitats. By revealing bats as allies rather than threats, the project is helping people and wildlife thrive together – proof that even bat poo can play a part in a more sustainable future.
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Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
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