A US review of the status of the Falklands Islands would be outrageous, and proof of a directionless administration.

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After weeks of arguing with NATO allies, the Trump administration continues to favour the clumsy application of the stick rather than the carrot.

The administration’s latest diplomatic miscalculation comes from a leaked Pentagon memo that suggests reviewing US backing of the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands; a potential punishment for failing to support the US’s war against Iran.

Already the email has caused a diplomatic incident, with Downing Street reiterating the UK’s longstanding, and unchanged, position on the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination.

If the administration is seriously considering such a move, it is evidence of a floundering foreign policy that completely misunderstands NATO and the UK-US alliance.

As with many of the Trump administration’s diplomatic tantrums, even considering this move is self-defeating. Whilst Trump and Starmer have disagreed publicly over the extent of Britain’s involvement in the war, the US has used British bases and our........

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