US President Donald Trump published a message to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the US-British military base on the island of Diego Garcia on Truth Social.
“Prime Minister Starmer must not lose control of Diego Garcia for any reason. This land must not be taken away from the UK. That would be a stain on our great ally. We will always be ready to fight for the UK, but it must remain strong. DO NOT GIVE UP DIEGO GARCIA“, the Republican wrote.
In the spring of 2025, the UK handed over the Chagos archipelago, where the base is located, to Mauritius. However, London retained control of the base, leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years so that The US-British base will continue to operate, for which it has agreed to pay Mauritius an average of 101 million British pounds (approximately 136 million dollars) per year.
Mauritius has been a British colony since 1814. It became an independent state in 1968, but three years earlier London separated Chagos from Mauritius and created the British Indian Ocean Territory there.
The largest island, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States in 1966 and a British-American air base was established there. Washington describes it as “virtually indispensable“ for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa. About 2,500 personnel, mostly Americans, live on Diego Garcia.
Trump said that the transfer of Chagos and Diego Garcia to Mauritius was foolish and "An act of absolute weakness." In this context, he ironically called the United Kingdom "our "brilliant" NATO ally."
"I told Prime Minister Keir Starmer that leases are not good when it comes to countries, and that he is making a serious mistake by entering into a 100-year lease with someone who "claims" rights, ownership and interests in Diego Garcia," the White House chief stressed.
Trump added that if Iran does not agree to a deal, Diego Garcia may have to be used to "deter a potential attack" from Tehran.