Why Trump wants to buy Chagos islands now amid conflict with Iran

4 min readUpdated: Jun 8, 2026 12:56 PM IST

The Trump administration is weighing options to secure long-term control over the strategically important Diego Garcia military base. (AP Photo)

US President Donald Trump is considering buying the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. The US officials have drafted a proposal to bypass the UK and make their own deal to take control of Diego Garcia, UK-based publication The Telegraph reported.

The discussions come as the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran continues. Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean, is located around 3,800 kilometres from Iran and can support long-range military operations.

The latest proposal was reportedly put forward by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and presented to President Donald Trump. However, it is not believed to be the preferred option at this stage, reported The Telegraph.

Trump opposed UK handing over Chagos Islands’ sovereignty

The proposal is among several options under consideration by the White House.

It is a part of various plans to offer alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, The Telegraph reported.

Speaking on the sovereignty of Chagos Islands, a US official told news agency Reuters that President Donald Trump has consistently opposed the UK giving up control of the British Indian Ocean territory of the Chagos Islands in Mauritius, which includes the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.

The official said to Reuters, “Diego Garcia’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean makes it a vital and indispensable military installation of significant importance to the national security of the United States.”

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

The US and UK have been continuing discussions to ensure the island remains an important regional security base for both countries since the 1970s.  In April, the UK government paused its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The deal had faced 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 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that allowing UK bases to be used against Iran could put British lives at risk, in a social media post.

Vast majority of the British People do not want any part in the Israel-U.S. war of choice on Iran.

Ignoring his own People, Mr. Starmer is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran. Iran will exercise its right to self-defense.

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

A UK government spokesperson told the Guardian that the previous government inherited a situation where control of the Diego Garcia base was under threat. The spokesperson said action was needed to protect British interests and stop rivals from gaining influence in such a strategically important location.

A government source also said the UK would not go ahead with any agreement on the Chagos Islands without US support.

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The source added that Diego Garcia has been a vital military base for both the UK and the US for nearly 60 years, and maintaining its long-term security and operational control remains the main reason behind the proposed UK-Mauritius agreement.

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

A delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK last week said the issue of the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands had been “hijacked within the halls” of UK politics, the Guardian reported.

The six-person contingent from the Chagos Refugees Group expressed their full support for the UK to agree on the future of the islands. “The most important is our rights,” Louis Olivier Bancoult, the delegation leader, said on Friday.

“There is not a real will for the British government to find a solution for our people. We need to find a way,” he added. “We’re still suffering and our position is clear, we have the right to live in our birthplace.”

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The Diego Garcia base, located in the central Indian Ocean, is about 2,360 miles (3,800km) from Iran and includes an airbase that can handle US long-range missiles.

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