Keir Starmer and Donald Trump remain miles apart over Iran after their first telephone call for a fortnight

Published: 18:13, 26 April 2026 | Updated: 18:13, 26 April 2026 Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump remained miles apart over Iran last night after their first telephone call for a fortnight. The Prime Minister warned the US President of the ‘severe consequences’ resulting from blockading the Strait of Hormuz. After they spoke President Trump had another public dig at Sir Keir over Britain’s failure to send warships to protect oil tankers. The conversation came just after President Trump and the First Lady survived an apparent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. This was understood to have been their first official conversation since 9th April following the Prime Minister’s remarks he was ‘fed up’ with the US President and Vladimir Putin. Last night Downing Street confirmed their latest telephone call and said the Prime Minister extended his best wishes after the dramatic scare. The two leaders remained miles apart last night over policy. To Trump’s disappointment Starmer has refused to send Royal Navy ships during the conflict. The UK’s position, agreed with its major European allies France and Germany, has been mocked repeatedly by the White House. A spokesperson said: ‘The leaders discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz given the severe consequences for the global economy and the cost of living for people in the UK and globally. ‘The Prime Minister shared the latest progress on his joint initiative with France’s President (Emmanuel) Macron to restore freedom of navigation.’ The US and Iran appear to have reached a stalemate after peace talks expected to take place in Pakistan were cancelled. The Iranian delegation left Pakistan over the weekend while the US team led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were called back by Trump. Addressing the cancellation of negotiations yesterday Trump invited Iran to call the US saying the country has plenty of security telephone lines. Trump said: ‘If they want we can talk but we’re not sending people. They know what has to be in the agreement. ‘It is very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there is no reason to meet.’ The tempo of the conflict has dropped dramatically since a temporary ceasefire agreed on 7th April but a permanent agreement remains far off. A standoff remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken the global economy. Sir Keir Starmer has been a diplomatic bystander throughout the conflict - seen here welcoming a Royal Navy submarine on its return to Britain after a record length mission Iran has called on the US to end its blockade before talks can start. Iran wants to charge companies vast sums to pass safely along the Strait and to share the proceeds with Oman. The economic fallout is growing two months into the war as global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertiliser and other supplies are disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait. Both sides have continued to make military threats. Iran's joint military command on Saturday warned that ‘if the US continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry, and piracy’ it will face a ‘strong response’. Last week Trump ordered military units to ‘shoot and kill’ small boats that could be placing mines. Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.