Ahmedabad Times

Trump opposed UK handing over Chagos Islands’ sovereignty

The proposal is amongst a number of choices into consideration by the White Home.

It is part of varied plans to supply options to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal at hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, The Telegraph reported.

Talking on the sovereignty of Chagos Islands, a US official instructed information company Reuters that President Donald Trump has persistently opposed the UK giving up management of the British Indian Ocean territory of the Chagos Islands in Mauritius, which incorporates the joint US-UK army base on Diego Garcia.

The official stated to Reuters, “Diego Garcia’s strategic location within the Indian Ocean makes it a significant and indispensable army set up of serious significance to the nationwide safety of the US.”

UK allowed US to launch strikes on Iran from the Diego Garcia base

The US and UK have been persevering with discussions to make sure the island stays an necessary regional safety base for each nations for the reason that Nineteen Seventies.  In April, the UK authorities paused its settlement to switch sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The deal had confronted criticism from President Trump.

In March, the UK allowed the US to launch strikes on Iran from the Diego Garcia base. President Trump later criticised the UK for approving the operation too slowly.

Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi warned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that permitting UK bases for use in opposition to Iran might put British lives in danger, in a social media submit.

Overwhelming majority of the British Individuals don’t need any half within the Israel-U.S. battle of selection on Iran.

Ignoring his personal Individuals, Mr. Starmer is placing British lives in peril by permitting UK bases for use for aggression in opposition to Iran. Iran will train its proper to self-defense.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 20, 2026

A UK authorities spokesperson instructed the Guardian that the earlier authorities inherited a state of affairs the place management of the Diego Garcia base was below menace. The spokesperson stated motion was wanted to guard British pursuits and cease rivals from gaining affect in such a strategically necessary location.

A authorities supply additionally stated the UK wouldn’t go forward with any settlement on the Chagos Islands with out US help.

The supply added that Diego Garcia has been a significant army base for each the UK and the US for almost 60 years, and sustaining its long-term safety and operational management stays the principle purpose behind the proposed UK-Mauritius settlement.

Chagos refugees say sovereignty of Chagos Islands hijacked in ‘UK halls’

A delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK final week stated the difficulty of the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands had been “hijacked throughout the halls” of UK politics, the Guardian reported.

The six-person contingent from the Chagos Refugees Group expressed their full help for the UK to agree on the way forward for the islands. “Crucial is our rights,” Louis Olivier Bancoult, the delegation chief, stated on Friday.

“There may be not an actual will for the British authorities to discover a resolution for our individuals. We have to discover a means,” he added. “We’re nonetheless struggling and our place is evident, now we have the proper to dwell in our birthplace.”

The Diego Garcia base, positioned within the central Indian Ocean, is about 2,360 miles (3,800km) from Iran and consists of an airbase that may deal with US long-range missiles.