U.S. President Donald Trump has increased pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the future of Diego Garcia, the strategically vital Indian Ocean island hosting a major U.S.–UK military base. In a statement issued on 18 February, Trump warned that transferring sovereignty of the island to Mauritius—while leasing it back for 100 years—would be a “massive mistake” by the new British government.
Posting on his platform Truth Social, Trump argued that “leasing is never a good solution” when it comes to national security. Handing sovereignty to a smaller state like Mauritius, he said, could expose the United Kingdom to unnecessary risks. With tensions between Washington and Tehran soaring, Trump insisted that both Diego Garcia and the UK’s RAF Fairford base may become essential for any potential defensive action if Iran refuses to compromise.
Starmer, who took office in mid-2024, reached an agreement with Mauritius to return sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago after nearly six decades. Under the deal, Mauritius would regain sovereignty, but the Diego Garcia military facility would remain under long-term British control. Trump, however, labelled the arrangement “weak” and “foolish,” urging London to reconsider.
The Diego Garcia debate comes at a politically volatile moment in the UK, as the government faces backlash over the appointment of controversial figure Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States amid ongoing scrutiny related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Analysts say Trump’s intervention adds fresh pressure on an already embattled administration.
Located at the center of the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia has been a key staging ground for long-range U.S. bombers since the Cold War. Today, roughly 1,500 military personnel and a similar number of contractors remain stationed there. Trump’s supporters argue that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius—which they describe as increasingly aligned with Beijing—could open the door to growing Chinese influence in the region, posing a threat to U.S. strategic interests.
The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, and roughly 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly displaced. In 2019, the International Court of Justice deemed the UK’s detachment of the islands unlawful and advised that the territory be returned to Mauritius. Critics say the Starmer government, in seeking to comply with international legal opinion, may be undermining Britain’s long-term security posture.
Although the U.S. State Department had previously supported the UK–Mauritius agreement, Trump’s recent position sends a markedly different signal. The White House has stated that the President’s Truth Social post reflects the current administration’s official policy. The shift has raised concerns about a potential strain in one of Washington’s oldest security partnerships.
For now, Diego Garcia remains more than just an island—it is a critical pillar of U.S. power projection across the globe. With the possibility of escalating confrontation with Iran, Trump has made it clear he wants the base to remain firmly under British sovereignty. Whether this pressure will force Starmer to revisit the deal, or instead lead to a long-term diplomatic rift between London and Washington, remains uncertain.
Source: Nineteen Forty Five.