US President Donald Trump has asked Britain to reconsider its decision to hand over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which it says would compromise a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean.
Trump warns UK over Diego Garcia
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Do not give away Diego Garcia," criticising the UK's decision to hand over the Chagos Islands while leasing back the vital military base for 99 years.
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"This land should not be taken away from the UK" and if it did it would be "a blight on our Great Ally", he added.
The comments come despite Washington earlier backing London's agreement with Mauritius, reported BBC. The deal, announced last May, would see the UK cede sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory while retaining access to Diego Garcia under a long-term lease.
Trump stressed that Diego Garcia is "strategically located in the Indian Ocean" and warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer that long leases were risky. "I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease..."
He also linked the base to tensions with Iran, stating, "Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia... in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime."
UK defends the agreement
The UK Foreign Office responded that the agreement was "crucial to the security of the UK and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe".
"The agreement we have reached is the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base," it said in a statement, reported BBC.
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Political reactions and background
The issue has drawn strong reactions in Britain. Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel called Trump's remarks "an utter humiliation" for Starmer, stated BBC. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Trump's shifting stance showed Britain needed closer European ties, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage backed the US president's criticism.
"Trump's endless flip-flopping on the Chagos Islands shows why Starmer's approach is doomed to fail," Davey wrote in a post on X.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago, hosts a joint UK–US military base. The islands have been under British control since 1814, though Mauritius has long contested the legality of that arrangement.
