LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said it was "sad to see" the relationship with Britain was "not what it was" after Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially held off giving military support to the strikes against Iran.
Trump said the likes of France had been more supportive and said he had never expected to see the once "most solid of all" relationships change in this way.
"It's very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was," Trump told the Sun newspaper on Tuesday, his second interview to a British newspaper in as many days where he criticised the British leader.
Starmer said late on Sunday that he would allow the U.S. to use British military bases for defensive strikes after they were not used in the initial attack on Iran.
Trump said the U.S. did not need Britain to wage war in the Middle East but added: "It's not going to matter, but (Starmer) should have helped… he should have.
"I mean, France has been great. They've all been great. The UK has been much different from others."
Senior British minister Darren Jones told Times Radio in response to the latest Trump comment's that the U.S.-UK relationship remained crucial but said the country had learnt lessons from its involvement in the 2003 Iraq war.
"One of the lessons of Iraq was that it's better to be involved in these situations when you are aligned with international partners, and as I say, with a clear legal basis in the plan," he said.
Starmer said in parliament on Monday: "President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done, and I stand by it."
(Reporting by Sarah Young; writing by Kate Holton)
