Trump Administration Considers Buying Chagos Islands From Mauritius To Secure Diego Garcia Base

The White House is reportedly considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, a proposal the Telegraph said would bypass the U.K. and secure control of the US-UK Diego Garcia military base.

“Reuters reported that the White House is studying a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, according to what the British newspaper The Telegraph reported”

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Reuters reported on June 7 that U.S. officials have drawn up a proposal to bypass the U.K. and make their own deal to take control of Diego Garcia, and Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

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The plan is described as one of several options being drafted in a paper aimed at providing alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ceding sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius.

The dispute is tied to stalled British legislation, with Britain’s government in April putting on hold its deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, home to the U.S.-British Diego Garcia air base.

The Guardian reported that the White House did not respond to its request for comment on the potential plan to purchase the islands.

Donald Trump described the UK’s restitution agreement of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as “a great stupidity” while also arguing that the United Kingdom is abandoning “such an extremely important land.”

In response, a UK government spokesperson said the Government inherited a situation where “UK control over the military base on Diego Garcia was under threat,” adding that “Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the U.S.”

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The Guardian reported that a delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK said the issue had been “hijacked within the halls” of UK politics, with Louis Olivier Bancoult saying, “The most important is our rights.”

The Independent reported that a U.S. official told it the Trump administration maintains it would be a mistake for the U.K. to “give away the British Indian Ocean Territory.”

The Independent also reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly raised the idea with the president, though it was reportedly not Trump’s “leading” option at this time.

The proposed U.S. purchase is framed as a way to preserve long-term operational control of Diego Garcia, with the Guardian quoting a UK spokesperson saying maintaining “long-term operational control and security of Diego Garcia is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius Agreement.”

“Jean Claude de l’Estrac answers our questions about the Chagos affair”

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The Guardian also reported that some officials in the Trump administration were concerned about giving the island to Mauritius, an ally of China, opening up the possibility of espionage.

Le Monde reported that Mauritius’s justice minister, Gavin Glover, said, “The sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago is already unambiguously recognized by international law and should no longer be subject to debate.”

Le Monde added that the Chagos restitution agreement was signed by London in May 2025 and keeps a 99-year lease on the main island, Diego Garcia, to maintain a U.S.-British military base.

The Independent said the alleged plans follow delays in U.K. legislation after withdrawal of U.S. support in January, while the U.S. and British allies continue discussions “to preserve the viability of Diego Garcia as a regional security platform.”