Donald Trump has said he has saved the UK from nuclear attack by waging war against Iran as he again hit out at the UK for refusing to be drawn into the conflict.
The US president also repeated his claim in a TV interview that parts of London were lawless “no-go” areas as a result of immigration, where the police were “afraid” to patrol.
In making the accusation, Trump took the opportunity to renew his criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with whom he has had a fractious relationship, branding him “a nasty guy.”
However, a source close to the Labour peer said the city was a “multicultural and thriving” global centre with crime rates down and that the US leader “just can’t comprehend [London’s] success.”
Trump was speaking to GB News amid the ongoing military stand-off between Washington and Tehran in the Middle East over the Strait of Hormuz.
The vital sea route for oil and gas was open to shipping prior to the US and Israeli offensive against Iran, aimed at preventing the country developing a nuclear weapon.
The disruption in The Gulf channel has shocked economies around the world, including the UK’s, and caused a spike in petrol prices.
Justifying the war, Trump told the UK broadcaster: “I’m saving your country from the threat too.
“Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, they’re more likely to use it in Europe, where they do have missile capability, than they are in America, where they don’t.
“I’m saving your country from a problem because they would use it.”
In the interview, the president also again poured scorn on Britain’s reluctance under former prime minister Keir Starmer to be drawn into the Iran conflict, as he hinted the US may pull support for the UK over the Falkland Islands in response.
He said: “Don’t forget, you get a big percentage of your oil from the Strait of Hormuz, and you weren’t there to help me.”
Trump also repeated his warning of the threat posed by immigration to the UK and the country’s energy stance, arguing it was facing “disaster.”
He said: “If you don’t stop people pouring into your country from all over the world, you’re not going to have a country left.”
Trump added: “I mean, if you go through London, London’s a much different place.
“You have a terrible mayor. He’s a nasty guy, nasty person. He’s a very bad mayor.
“You have crime that’s very high, and London’s a very much different place than if you took somebody from 15 or 20 years ago and brought them through London, they wouldn’t know what happened. Such a different place.”
He went on: “You have areas in Paris and London where the police don’t want to even go in them, there’s no law and order. They’re afraid to go in them. Either they’re afraid or they just don’t, you know, they don’t want to lose their life.”
But a source close to the London mayor told the Press Association: “Sadiq is still living rent free in Trump’s head. The guy is obsessed with him.
“Crime rates are down all across London, with violent crime lower than every major US city.
“London is a diverse, multicultural and thriving global city – the best city in the world. Trump just can’t comprehend our success.”