US President Donald Trump has urged the UK not to âgive awayâ Diego Garcia, sharply criticising Londonâs plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back the key military base.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the territory âshould not be taken away from the UKâ and warned that doing so would be âa blight on our Great Ally.â His comments come despite the US government formally backing the agreement earlier this week.
The deal would see Britain cede sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, while securing a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and home to a strategically important joint UK-US military base.
Diego Garciaâs location in the Indian Ocean has long made it central to Western military operations in the Middle East and Asia. Trump described it as âstrategically locatedâ and warned that long-term leases between nations were âno goodâ.
Referring to ongoing tensions with Iran over its nuclear programme, Trump suggested the base could be critical if military action were required. He has repeatedly threatened force against Tehran over its nuclear activities and domestic crackdowns, allegations Iran denies.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the agreement, arguing it is essential to secure the long-term future of the base amid legal challenges from Mauritius over Britainâs sovereignty claim. The Foreign Office said the deal was âcrucial to the security of the UK and our key alliesâ.
On Tuesday, the US State Department formally supported Britainâs decision to proceed with the agreement. However, Trumpâs latest remarks appear to contradict that endorsement, marking another shift in his public stance. He has previously described the deal as both an âact of great stupidityâ and the âbestâ arrangement available.
Opposition figures in the UK seized on Trumpâs intervention. Conservative MP Dame Priti Patel called it âan utter humiliationâ for Starmer, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the episode showed Britain could not rely solely on Washington under Trumpâs leadership. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage praised the US presidentâs criticism and urged the government to scrap the deal.
The Chagos Islands, located roughly 1,250 miles north-east of Mauritius, have been under British control since 1814. In the late 1960s, Britain allowed the US to build the Diego Garcia base, forcibly removing thousands of islanders. Many settled in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK.
Mauritius has long argued that Britain unlawfully separated the islands before granting it independence. Talks between the US and Mauritius are expected next week as debate over the future of the strategically vital territory intensifies.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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