Falklands War veteran hopes King Charles can convince Trump to 'back down'

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can convince US President Donald Trump to "back down" over reports the US could review its position on the UK's claim to the territory. An internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering options to punish Nato allies it believed had failed to support its war on Iran. BBC News has not been able to review the email. Downing Street has said that sovereignty of the Falkland Islands "rests with the UK" and that the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount. The report regarding the US position emerged three days before King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to the US. Weston said he hoped the monarch could persuade Trump to "back down and calm down" over the islands, which have been under British rule since 1833. "He's [Trump] paying absolutely no heed to the humanity that he's abusing with his words because the people of the Falklands deserve more respect, but so do every veteran who served down there deserve more respect." Weston, who served as a Welsh Guardsman during the 1982 war between the UK and Argentina over the territory, suffered almost 50% burns to his body in the RFA Sir Galahad attack. He called the US president's comments "very unstatesmanlike" and said he was "sad and disappointed it's come to this". Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said on Friday that "sovereignty rests with the UK, and the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount". Meanwhile, Downing Street noted that its residents had previously voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of remaining a British Overseas Territory. All but three of the islands' 1,672 eligible voters opted to remain a British territory in a 2013 referendum, on a turnout of more than 90%. Although the 10-week war ended with the surrender of Argentine forces, the country still claims sovereignty over the islands which lie some 300 miles (483km) to its east in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. The Falklands' government said on Friday: "The Falkland Islands has complete confidence in the commitment made by the UK government to uphold and defend our right of self-determination." A US state department spokesperson was quoted by the AFP news agency on Friday as saying the US position on the islands remained "one of neutrality". "We acknowledge that there are conflicting claims of sovereignty between Argentina and the UK," the spokesperson said. They added that the US recognises "de facto United Kingdom administration" of the archipelago without taking sides on sovereignty claims. Claiming sovereignty over the Falklands has been a rallying cry every Argentine government has deployed in the past, guaranteed to have a popular reaction. In Argentina's presidential palace, a plaque dedicated to the islands - which it calls Malvinas - is mounted in a prime position.