Mr Witkoff was pressed over whether the PM had damaged the ‘special relationship’ and delivered a damning assessment of both the UK and Europe’s reliance on Washington.

Speaking to GB News, he said: "Sometimes we detect that there's not that feeling of gratitude.

"The President's position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the UK in trade, defence and the support we give to NATO.

*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***

"The speed at which the Type 45 destroyer is getting out to sea has sparked alarm over UK readiness and the state of the Armed Forces.Sometimes the response back, the reciprocity... is a little bit lacking. I would leave it at that."

He also said the deployment of a Royal Navy warship to the Eastern Mediterranean was “too little, too late”, echoing comments made by Mr Trump.

However, the warship might not arrive in the region until next week — more than two weeks after RAF Akrotiri was hit.

The UK was also considering sending one of its aircraft carriers to the region, prompting another slapdown from Mr Trump.

“We don’t need them any longer,” he wrote on Truth Social, describing the UK as “our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all”.

America said it had “eliminated” a number of Iranian vessels, including 16 minelayers, near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

It came as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth warned it would be the "most intense" day of strikes so far.