Israel says Beirut strike targeted Iranian Quds Force commanders

US President Donald Trump said Britain was giving “serious thought” to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but made clear he did not believe Washington needed British help in the war with Iran.

“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”

Trump’s remarks came after Britain’s defense ministry said it was preparing the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales for possible deployment, although no final decision has been taken.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended his earlier refusal to allow US forces to use British bases for initial strikes on Iran, saying he wanted to ensure any action was legal and properly planned.

Responding to Trump’s comments, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News: “The thing I’ve learned doing this job is that you have to focus on substance and not on social media posts.”

“We’re not going to do things in terms of the rhetoric or hyperbole. We’re going to do things on really practical, calm, steady decision making. Because I think that actually the British character more widely is to do things in a serious and steady way.”

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, head of Iran’s Supreme Court, said the country has remained “firm and steadfast” despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a week ago.

Montazeri said Iran had been without a leader for days but insisted the system remained intact, saying the “spirit of the martyred imam is commanding the field.”

He also vowed retaliation for Khamenei’s death, saying Iran’s armed forces were determined to take revenge and warning that the United States would receive what he described as a harsh lesson.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Middle East’s affairs should be decided by the countries of the region and warned against outside interference or attempts at regime change.

“The people of the Middle East are the true owners of this region, and the affairs of the Middle East should be independently decided by the countries in the region. Plotting color revolution or seeking regime change are not welcomed.”

He said all sides should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, resolve differences through equal dialogue and work toward what he called common security.

US President Donald Trump praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and said she was willing to help the United States and Israel in their war with Iran, according to remarks reported by Italy’s Corriere della Sera.

“I love Italy, I think she is a great leader,” Trump said in a telephone interview with the newspaper, describing Meloni as a friend who “always tries to help.”

Italy has said it plans to send air-defense aid to Persian Gulf countries facing Iranian strikes, while an Italian navy vessel is preparing to sail to Cyprus as part of a European mission to help protect the island after it came under Iranian fire.

The United States is pressing Sri Lanka not to repatriate Iranian sailors rescued after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean last week, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

A US submarine torpedoed the Iranian frigate Dena about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Galle on Wednesday, killing dozens of sailors.

The strike marked the first time the United States has sunk a naval vessel in combat since World War Two and showed the widening geographic scope of the war involving Iran.

Sri Lankan authorities rescued 32 survivors from the Dena, with about 20 later moved to an air force camp after being treated in hospital, sources told Reuters.

At the same time, Sri Lanka has taken custody of the Iranian naval auxiliary vessel Bushehr, which had become stranded inside the country’s exclusive economic zone. Colombo began offloading its 208 crew members on Thursday.

According to the US cable, Washington asked Sri Lanka to ensure that neither the Bushehr crew nor the Dena survivors are sent back to Iran during the conflict.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said his country had a “humanitarian responsibility” to assist the sailors, while US officials said the ultimate decision rests with Sri Lanka under its own laws and international obligations.