The US president is an ally of Argentina’s Javier Milei and Mr Trump’s relationship with Sir Keir Starmer has deteriorated since the Iran war started.
Donald Trump’s US administration could review its position on the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands in retaliation for Sir Keir Starmer’s lack of support for the war in Iran.
An internal Pentagon email set out options to punish Nato allies for refusing to join the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
The memo, first reported by Reuters, suggests reassessing US diplomatic support for “imperial possessions” such as the Falklands.
The potential for a shift in the US position has been considered in the Foreign Office, although it has been treated as a “hypothetical scenario”.
Argentina claimed sovereignty over the islands in 1982, leading to the Falklands War.
The US president is an ally of Argentina’s Javier Milei and Mr Trump’s relationship with Sir Keir has deteriorated dramatically since the start of the Iran crisis.
The Prime Minister has refused to give the US free rein in its use of British military bases to conduct the bombing campaign against Iran.
Limited permission was granted for bases – including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory – to be used in defensive actions against Iran’s missile sites and installations threatening the Strait of Hormuz, but only after Tehran’s retaliatory actions began.
The US state department describes the Falklands as “administered by the United Kingdom, claimed by Argentina” and uses the Spanish name Islas Malvinas alongside the English name.
Ben Judah, who was a special adviser to former foreign secretary David Lammy said the UK needed to strengthen its ties with the British overseas territories.
Responding to the reports from the US, he said: “This was a then still hypothetical scenario I had concerns about when I was working in the Foreign Office on the UK’s overseas territories.”
He suggested converting them from overseas territories to overseas kingdoms, represented by MPs elected to Westminster, similar to the situation in France.
“If this were already the case, His Majesty would be visiting Washington to see Trump this week as King of the Kingdom of the Falklands.”
The King and Queen will arrive in the US on Monday for a four-day state visit.
The Pentagon email expressed frustration at Nato allies’ reluctance to grant access, basing and overflight (ABO) rights for the Iran war.
It suggested Spain could be suspended from the Nato alliance over its refusal to allow bases or airspace to be used to attack Iran.
