President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to scrap plans for a long-term lease arrangement involving the island Diego Garcia, contradicting his administration’s previous support and warning the U.S. may need the strategic base if talks with Iran collapse.
“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Britain has controlled the Chagos Islands, which includes Diego Garcia, since 1814. Mauritius has long argued Britain illegally split the island away during colonization. The U.K. is now planning to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius and maintain control of the base through a century-long lease.
Trump told Starmer he would be making “a big mistake” and urged Britain not to give up control of the territory to Mauritius: “DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”
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Just a day prior, the administration voiced support for the U.K.’s arrangement securing continued U.S. access to the joint U.S.-U.K. facility in the Indian Ocean.
“The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago,” the State Department’s office of the spokesperson wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
Asked Wednesday whether Trump’s post reflected a policy shift, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president’s post “should be taken as the policy of the Trump administration.”
It is not the first time the administration has shifted positions. Trump had previously labeled the deal as an “act of great stupidity” but later said it was the “best” deal the prime minister could make.
Diego Garcia is one of Washington’s most important long-range bomber and logistics hubs and has historically supported operations across the Middle East.
The U.S. and Mauritius are holding talks on “effective implementation of security arrangements” next week in the capital of Mauritius, Port Louis.
The remarks explicitly connect a key allied base to a potential Iran operation at a moment when Washington is trying to keep diplomacy alive while simultaneously emphasizing that military options remain on the table.
“They want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.” Trump said Monday.
U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Geneva on Tuesday. Both sides were described as producing some initial areas of understanding, though negotiators acknowledged major issues remain unresolved and further proposals are expected soon.
At the same time, the U.S. has strengthened its regional posture, including by moving to position additional naval forces in the Middle East in case diplomacy fails.
Iranian leaders have responded to the pressure with their own warnings. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently cautioned that any U.S. attempt to attack or destabilize Iran would trigger retaliation, arguing that even powerful militaries can be struck in ways they “cannot get up” from.
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