A former military chief has hit out at reports that the US could review Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands as revenge for a lack of support in the Iran war, dubbing the threats an “insult”.
A leaked internal Pentagon email suggested a review of Washington’s position on Britain’s claim to the islands, as US officials outlined ways to punish Nato allies for their response to the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.
The confidential memo, which also considers suspending Spain from the alliance, expresses frustration over certain allies’ reluctance or refusal to support Washington’s military action against Tehran.
Admiral Lord West of Spithead – the commanding officer of HMS Ardent, a frigate that was sunk in the Falklands War – told The Independent the reports were an “insult to the autonomous, self-reliant and free people of the Falkland Islands”, adding: “How dare they!”
But he also dismissed the threats, saying that, militarily, losing US support for British sovereignty would have “no impact”.
“The recognition or otherwise by the US does not make the islands less secure,” the former Royal Navy commander-in-chief added.
Now a British Overseas Territory, the Falkland Islands’ defence is provided by the United Kingdom at a permanent military base, RAF Mount Pleasant, which was built on the Falklands and opened in 1985 by the Duke of York.
The base, which is solely operated by British forces and is not shared with the US, is a key military asset, as it forms the centre of the British military’s presence in the South Atlantic, with between 1,300 and 1,700 military and civilian personnel based there at any one time.
The leaked memo, which includes an option to reassess US diplomatic support for longstanding European “imperial possessions”, such as the Falkland Islands, lays bare the tense relations between Britain and the Trump administration, which have broken down in the wake of the Iran war.
The islands are administered by the UK but are still claimed by Argentina, whose libertarian president, Javier Milei, is a Trump ally.
Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 over the islands after Argentina made a failed bid to take them. Some 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British troops died before Argentina surrendered.
The US president has hit out repeatedly at Nato allies since he launched his offensive in Iran, branding the alliance a “paper tiger” and threatening to withdraw from the alliance altogether.
He has also repeatedly attacked Britain and Sir Keir Starmer, saying he was “no Winston Churchill” after he initially refused to grant a request from the US to attack Iran from British bases.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the US War Department will ensure Mr Trump “has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part”.
“As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our Nato allies, they were not there for us,” she said.
Mr Trump has also openly considered withdrawing from Nato, asking, “Wouldn’t you if you were me?” when questioned about the possibility of a US pullout earlier this month.
Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
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