Donald Trump has suggested the US could leave the security of the Strait of Hormuz to countries including the UK who have failed to respond to his demand for warships to secure the waterway.
The US president said that would get some of our “non-responsive” countries “in gear, and fast”.
His comments came as Sir Keir Starmer warned the longer the crisis goes on, the worse its impact will be on the cost of living.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’ (sic)
“That would get some of our non-responsive “Allies” in gear, and fast!!!”
Mr Trump has repeatedly berated countries including the UK for failing to respond to his request for support in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir defended his approach, insisting he would not allow UK forces to be drawn into a “wider war”.
Iran has closed off the strait to most shipping, with commercial vessels coming under attack in the region.
He said: “I want to see this war end as quickly as possible.
“The longer it continues, the bigger the impact on the cost of living. And that’s why we intervened to support households with costs of heating oil.
“The best way forward is a negotiated settlement with Iran giving up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon.”
Sir Keir has so far resisted Mr Trump’s demands for the Royal Navy to deploy to the strait, although the UK has unmanned minehunting drones already in Bahrain.
Defence Secretary John Healey discussed the situation with his counterparts from France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
“We are working with allies to reinforce regional security and protect British interests,” he said.
The UK has sent air defence destroyer HMS Dragon to help defend Cyprus from drones and missiles but the vessel has not yet arrived in the eastern Mediterranean.
The destroyer was seen leaving Gibraltar overnight.
As strikes continued across the Middle East, Israel claimed it had killed Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib.
It comes after Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force were reportedly killed on Tuesday.
Iran attacked Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich eastern province as well as targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
