The UK’s “difference of agreement” with the US over Iran has “strained” its relationship with Donald Trump’s administration, the health secretary has said.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Wes Streeting criticised the US president for saying “incendiary, provocative, outrageous things on social media”.
He said: “The difference of agreement with Iran has undoubtedly strained things with the Trump administration.
“But on so many other things, our interests as the UK and the US are intertwined.
“We are old and close friends and we’ve got a shared outlook as democratic countries and we’ve got shared security interests.”
He added: “So all of that work, all of that partnership continues to go on. And the point I’m making is you have to distinguish between some of the rhetoric which people might find shocking, and then the reality.”
He went on to say not joining the war with Iran was “the right decision” and it is “not a war of our choosing”, although the government has “never been in any doubt about the nature of the Iranian regime and the threat that they pose to our allies in the region, to the UK and our interests”.
Social media criticism
Saying he is “not sure it’s ever clear” what Trump means when he posts on social media, he added: “Over the course of the last week, President Trump has said some pretty bold – in ‘Yes Minister’ language – incendiary, provocative, outrageous things on social media.
“I think we’ve all come to learn that you judge President Trump through what he does, not just what he says.
“And ultimately, the only way in which we’re going to clear this situation up is to reach agreement with Iran, one that puts nuclear weapons beyond its ambitions and reach.”
Discover more from MEZIESBLOG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.