The United Kingdom "is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That's OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don't need them any longer," Trump posted to his Truth Social account.

"But we will remember," he said. "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"

Trump posted the message shortly after attending the return of the first six US service members killed in the Middle East war, at Dover Airforce Base in the northeastern state of Delaware.

British media reports say the Royal Navy is preparing the HMS Prince Wales, an aircraft carrier currently at Portsmouth in southern England, for possible deployment to the Middle East, but no final decision had been made.

Trump has said he is "not happy with the UK," mocking Starmer by saying "this is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with."

Starmer initially refused to have any role in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which started a week ago, on February 28.

Starmer later agreed to a US request to use two British military bases for a "specific and limited defensive purpose."