Rachel Reeves and Scott Bessent clash over Iran war at IMF meetings
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 5
Rachel Reeves and Scott Bessent clash over Iran war at IMF meetings
8 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 5
The face-to-face row took place in Washington on 15 April after Reeves publicly called the conflict a “folly” and said US war aims had been unclear for six weeks.
People briefed on the exchange said Bessent invoked the risk of an Iranian nuclear strike on London, and Reeves replied that she was not his employee and disliked his tone.
The dispute underscores a widening US-UK rift, with Donald Trump threatening trade retaliation and moves over the Falklands, although Downing Street says Reeves and Bessent still have a constructive relationship.
As top officials clash over the Iran war, is the historic US-UK 'special relationship' now fundamentally at risk?
The US war aims to stop a nuclear Iran, but could the conflict's fallout create even greater global instability?
With a key global oil artery blocked, is the world economy heading for a war-fueled recession?