Foreign Media: The UK Abandons Deployment of Aircraft Carriers to the Middle East

According to a report by Reference News on March 12, the UK has abandoned plans to send the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East, as reported by the Financial Times website on March 9. Previously, U.S. President Trump mocked British Prime Minister Starmer, saying that Starmer wanted to join the war after achieving "victory" in the conflict with Iran.

UK officials stated that the aircraft carrier, currently docked in Portsmouth, is not prepared for operations related to Iran. Downing Street has "not made a decision to deploy it."

Earlier, the UK Ministry of Defence had placed the carrier and its crew on high alert to be able to set sail within five days of receiving notice.

The UK Ministry of Defence said on the 7th: "HMS Prince of Wales has been on high alert, and we are increasing the readiness level of this carrier to shorten the time required for deployment."

Some UK officials claimed that there was never a plan to send this carrier to the Middle East, but rather to prepare it for NATO military operations, with plans to deploy it to the Arctic region. However, other officials insisted that the Ministry of Defence's sudden order last week to adjust the carrier's readiness status was to give the government an option to deploy the carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean or further afield.

On the 7th, Trump posted on social media: "Britain, our once-great ally, perhaps the greatest, is finally seriously considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East."

"It's okay, Prime Minister Starmer, we no longer need them — but we will remember. We don't need anyone joining the war after we achieve victory!"

Another UK aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is undergoing refurbishment and is therefore unable to deploy.

Starmer's aides denied that the UK changed the deployment plan for HMS Prince of Wales due to Trump's remarks and insisted that the call between the two leaders on the 8th was "constructive."

It is reported that the two leaders are trying to restore relations. In the previous week, the White House had been critical of the UK for refusing to take more action to support the U.S. and Israel in their efforts against Iran.

Additionally, the UK destroyer HMS Dragon is expected to sail to the Mediterranean this week to protect British interests in the region.

Polls show that the majority of Britons support Starmer's decision not to participate in the U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. The latest data from YouGov indicates that 59% oppose military action, an increase of 10 percentage points since the 2nd. (Translated by Yang Xinpeng)