President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not to move forward with what Trump described as a “tenuous” long-term lease arrangement tied to Diego Garcia, a strategically important military base in the Indian Ocean.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had been telling Starmer that “leases are no good when it comes to countries,” and argued the United Kingdom would be “losing control” of the island by entering a 100-year lease with parties he characterized as having questionable claims.
Trump also framed the issue through the lens of U.S. and allied security, saying Diego Garcia — and the Royal Air Force base at Fairford in England — could be needed if Iran does not reach a deal, warning of a potential attack targeting the U.K. and other allied countries.
The issue between the US and UK comes in a backdrop of a long-term dispute over the Chagos Islands, an island chain in the Indian Ocean to which Diego Garcia belongs.
Under a framework outlined in a UK Parliament briefing, Britain agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining continued access to Diego Garcia through a long-term lease arrangement.
The House of Commons Library has described the deal as aimed at resolving the sovereignty dispute while securing the base for Britain and its allies.
The UK had defended this deal as a measure to ensure long-term security interests in the region, but this had been opposed by many on grounds of strategic leverage and control over a key region.
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