New UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting struck a pragmatic tone Sunday, signaling willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration on shared security interests while drawing a firm line on Iran.
Speaking on Sky News, Streeting said he would avoid sycophancy in dealing with Washington. “The first thing you do is, you don’t suck up,” he said. “My impression is President Trump, his administration, that’s not what they’re looking for actually. He’s a straight talker, he says what he means and means what he says.”
Streeting took office Monday after Prime Minister Andy Burnham reshuffled his cabinet. He inherits strained ties with the White House, which had repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Keir Starmer, over London’s refusal to back US-Israeli military operations against Iran.
The new defence secretary confirmed the Burnham government has not shifted that stance. He told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week that the UK “won’t support offensive action” in Iran. But he stressed areas where cooperation remains possible: “There are plenty of things that we can and should do together when it comes to securing the Strait of Hormuz, in making sure that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons, in terms of investing in our capability and NATO’s capability.”
Streeting’s comments come amid a broader push by Trump to force NATO allies to shoulder more of the alliance’s burden. During his two terms, Trump has repeatedly lambasted European members for underfunding their militaries and depending on US firepower. Last year, NATO countries agreed to raise their defense spending target to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, up from the 2 percent benchmark set in 2014.
Streeting credited Trump for driving that deal. “We don’t always like what he says. We don’t always like his methods,” he said. “But I genuinely think when this period of history is written, Europe will thank President Trump for shaking us out of our complacency and forcing us to stand on our own two feet and end the period of overreliance on the United States for defense.”
He added that Trump’s critique reflects a longstanding bipartisan US frustration: “Because what he said about Europe isn’t unique to President Trump, the MAGA movement, or the Republican Party. This has been a long-standing [point] of U.S. frustration with Europe under Democratic and Republican presidents.”
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz welcomed the remarks. “You’re welcome UK. We need allies, yes, but ones with real military capabilities,” Waltz wrote Sunday on X.
The development comes as Senate Republicans, led by John Thune, face mounting pressure from Trump on defense funding and nominations. Meanwhile, some lawmakers have warned that Trump’s Iran policy risks a protracted conflict. The UK’s refusal to join offensive operations underscores lingering transatlantic divisions even as Europe boosts its own defense budgets.
