Washington DC - President Donald Trump said he was "very disappointed" in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially refusing to allow the use of a joint UK-US base in the Chagos Islands to target Iran.

Trump said it "took far too long" for Starmer to change his mind and eventually grant US forces permission to operate from British bases – albeit only in a "limited" role targeting missile sites.

In an interview with the Telegraph, the Republican highlighted the issues around Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, which are at the center of a diplomatic row between the UK, US, and Mauritius.

He criticized the refusal to grant permission to use the base for the initial strikes against Iran’s military and leadership.

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'That’s probably never happened between our countries before," he said, adding: "It sounds like he was worried about the legality."

Referring to Starmer’s U-turn, he added: "It is useful. It took far too much time. Far too much time."

Hours before that, a drone hit a UK air base in Cyprus. Officials said RAF Akrotiri was continuing to operate as normal despite the attack but family members of personnel had been moved away from the base as a precaution.

The drone is believed to have been launched before Starmer announced he had allowed US forces to use British bases rather than in retaliation to the policy shift.