In a move that not only brought a relief for the United Kingdom and Mauritius but also for the Indian Ocean region, US President Donald Trump has now backed off from his intervention in the Diego Garcia island deal. Sharing a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that he had a very productive discussion with British PM Keir Starmer and said that the US holds the right to intervene if the lease deal falls apart. Trump’s u-turn comes days after the United States reached a trade deal with India after over six months of hostilities.
“I have had very productive discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia. It is the site of a major U.S. Military Base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the National Security of the United States,” said Trump.
Trump said that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made is the best he could do. “However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia. Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense,” said Trump.
Praising his military, Trump said that the United States has the most powerful Military in the World. “Our Military Operations, over the course of the last year, were successful because of the strength of our warfighters, the modern capability of our equipment and, very importantly, the strategic location of our Military Bases for staging, and other reasons,” he said.
Earlier, Trump had warned the UK against going ahead with the deal. Diego Garcia, located in the Indian Ocean, hosts a major joint U.S.–UK military installation that has played a central role in American operations across the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific region for decades. The base is widely regarded as one of Washington’s most strategically important overseas military assets.
The island is part of the Chagos Archipelago, which Britain detached from Mauritius before granting it independence in the late 1960s. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion finding the UK’s continued administration of the territory unlawful and calling for its return to Mauritius.
The deal also brings a relief for India as New Delhi has invested a lot along with Mauritius while playing a crucial role in the development of the island.
