by WorldTribune Staff, February 19, 2026 Real World News
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” in agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the nation of Mauritius an island chain in the Indian Ocean which includes Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Chagos Archipelago which houses a strategic UK-U.S. joint military base.
Starmer gave official approval of the deal on Tuesday.
The Diego Garcia base features a long runway for heavy bombers (B-52s, B-2s) and refueling aircraft, a deep-water pier, and major fuel/storage capacity.
The base has been essential for major military operations, including the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, and recent strikes in Yemen. It is also seen as key if the U.S. were to carry out new strikes on Iran.
Related: Khameini said to believe regime can survive U.S. attack; Iran committed to missiles, February 10, 2026
The UK will maintain a 99-year lease of Diego Garcia with an option to extend, which will cost about 100 million pounds ($135m) a year.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said on Wednesday that the deal was “crucial to the security of the UK and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe.”
Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:
I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is “claiming” Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean.
Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature.
Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries.
Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease. This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally.
We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!
In an October 2024 analysis, Jack Watling warned that “ceding sovereignty, the UK has given Mauritius – which has a stated ambition to economically exploit the territory – the ability to grant fishing rights and other navigation rights to the waters surrounding the base. As the base is home to U.S. long-range bombers, it is of considerable interest to China. Beijing uses its fishing fleet as the eyes and ears of its military, with Chinese fishing boats routinely equipped with sensors and communications equipment to monitor other countries. There is a significant risk that such vessels will soon ply the waters around the base. It is worth noting that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was already routinely preventing the prosecution of Sri Lankan fishing vessels illegally fishing in the marine protected area, even when they were detained by the patrol vessel and found to be carrying sophisticated radar, for fear of causing diplomatic tensions.
“Another issue is that if Mauritius wishes to economically exploit the archipelago, it will need to establish infrastructure on the islands. The most likely investor in such projects is China, and based on what China has done elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, its state-owned enterprises will allow it to have pre-staged equipment at these sites that, if an escalation were to occur over Taiwan – for example – could contribute to disrupting operations from Diego Garcia.”
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As pressure on Iran increases, Trump leans on UK not to lease strategic Diego Garcia added by Editor Two on
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