WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has warned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer against transferring control of the strategic island of Diego Garcia, calling a proposed 100-year lease agreement “a major mistake.” In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Britain risks losing control of the territory to what he described as entities with an “artificial identity,” without elaborating. He stressed that if no agreement is reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the use of the Diego Garcia air base and RAF Fairford would be a “vital necessity” to deter potential attacks against Britain and its allies. Trump urged London to resist political pressures and movements he referred to as being driven by “social awareness” campaigns, and to retain control of what he described as a strategic asset. Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, has long been under British control and leased to the United States as a key military base. International courts have ruled that the island should be returned to Mauritius, but Britain has maintained control citing strategic military interests. A potential long-term lease arrangement and options for transferring sovereignty to Mauritius are reportedly under consideration.
