Trump brands UK aircraft carriers 'toys' in latest swipe as he tells Britain 'don't bother' to send ships

Speaking during a cabinet meeting this afternoon, Trump took aim at the UK specifically, calling Britain's aircraft carriers "toys."

He said: "We had the UK say - this is three weeks ago - we'll send our aircraft carriers, which aren't the best aircraft carriers, by the way. They're toys compared to what we have."

He added that the UK "shouldn't bother" to send ships - despite issuing several pleas for NATO assistance in his war on Iran.

Read more: Trump brands Iran a 'lunatic nation' that is 'begging for a deal' and slams Nato for failing to back his war

In the same press conference, he said Iran should be "desperate" for a deal but suggested that he may change his mind after Tehran rejected his touted 15-point peace plan.

It comes as Trump told Iranian leaders, "get serious soon, before it is too late".

Taking to TruthSocial this morning, the US president described Iranian negotiators as “difficult” and “very strange” - despite Iran insisting no peace talks are taking place.

Trump wrote: "They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’

“WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”

Minutes later, he ranted again, this time in all caps and, this time, attacking his NATO allies.

“NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN.

“THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT ‘NEVER FORGET’ THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!”

The President has stepped up efforts to strike a peace agreement with Tehran over the last few days, despite the White House threatening to "unleash hell" if Iran refused to accept defeat.

Giving a lengthy speech at a fundraising dinner for Republicans in Washington on Wednesday evening, Trump said: "They want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people.

"They're also afraid they'll be killed by us."

He added: "There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."

He described Iran as the "cancer" in relation to its nuclear programme development, but said the US had eradicated it.

He said: "I thought that the energy prices, the oil prices would go up higher. I thought the stock market would go somewhat lower.

"But it didn’t matter to me, short term. What we had to do is get rid of the cancer. We had to cut out the cancer, and the cancer was Iran with a nuclear weapon."

Iran said it rejected the US plans to halt the war after Trump proposed a 15-point peace document on Tuesday, while launching more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has suggested Iran has the capability to strike London as he stressed the global threat posed by Tehran.

His comments at a White House cabinet meeting on Wednesday come after two missiles were fired last Friday at the joint UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, around 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Iran.

While the UK Government has said both fell short of their target, it has fuelled concern over the potential threat posed to the UK itself.

The Israeli military has previously claimed Iranian missiles could reach a distance of around 4,000km, posing a danger to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Although not mentioning Diego Garcia by name, Mr Hegseth said: “Two days ago they (Iran) shot two failed missiles on a target 4,000km away. For years, they told the world that their missiles could only range two (thousand) kilometres. Surprise. Yet again, Iran lie.”

He added: “And to the world. I say London is 4,000km from Iran. Washington DC is 3,300km from Venezuela, another country President Trump did something about, partnered for a long time with Iran.

“So you’re telling us that Iran is not a threat to the world or to the US, President Trump knows better.”

The strikes were also followed by reports that claim Iran is to be supported by Russia, with Moscow planning on sending drones, medicine supplies, and food to help its military efforts against the US and Israel.

According to the Financial Times, Vladimir Putin has already provided satellite imagery, targeting data and intelligence support.

Trump's apparent eagerness to strike a deal with Iran appears to be conflicted by mixed messages from his Government, after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a further warning.

She said on Wednesday that the US President "wants peace" but would ensure Iran was "hit harder than they have ever been hit before" if it refused to accept defeat.

Leavitt claimed Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks had fallen by roughly 90 per cent and said the US was "systematically dismantling" Iran’s defence industrial base.

She also said several 5,000lb bombs had been dropped over the weekend on underground Iranian facilities used to store missiles and weapons.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister said on state TV that his Government had not engaged in talks to end the war, and "we do not plan on any negotiations".

He told state TV: "At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance. We do not intend to negotiate – so far, no negotiations have taken place, and I believe our position is completely principled".

He said the exchange of messages was "sending messages through others".

Pakistani officials delivered the 15-point plan to Iran, described the 15-point proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran's nuclear programme, limits on missiles, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Mediators are pushing for possible in-person talks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, the Egyptian and Pakistani officials said.