White House Considers Buying Chagos Islands From Mauritius To Control Diego Garcia Base

The White House is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, the Telegraph reported, with U.S. officials drawing up a proposal to bypass the United Kingdom and make their own deal to take control of the US-UK Diego Garcia air base.

“American President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the restitution agreement for the Chagos Islands by the United Kingdom to Mauritius as a great stupidity, even as he himself contemplates acquiring Greenland”

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Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, and the White House and the UK Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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

The UK government in April put on hold its deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia air base, which has been criticised by Trump, who said in February the deal was a "big mistake".

A U.S. official told Reuters that "Diego Garcia’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean makes it a vital and indispensable military installation of significant importance to the national security of the United States".

The Guardian reported that under the reported proposal the Trump administration would sidestep UK officials and purchase the island, with the island first needing to be made sovereign so the U.S. could negotiate its purchase with Mauritius directly.

The Guardian also said a delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK last week told the issue had been “hijacked within the halls” of UK politics, and that Louis Olivier Bancoult said on Friday, "The most important is our rights,".

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In the same Guardian account, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, warned Keir Starmer that he was “putting British lives at risk by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran”.

A UK government spokesperson said: "Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, which has protected our shared security for nearly 60 years."

The Guardian added that when asked if the UK would go ahead with the deal to cede sovereignty if the US opposed it, a government source said: “We’ve always been clear we wouldn’t go ahead without US support.”

The dispute is framed around stalled plans for the UK to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping a long-term lease over Diego Garcia, with the White House considering alternatives to that approach.

“June 7 (Reuters) – The White House is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, the Telegraph reported on Sunday”

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The Washington Examiner said the report came amid uncertainty surrounding a 2025 agreement negotiated by Starmer that would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while allowing Britain and the United States to continue operating the joint military base on Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease arrangement.

The Hindu reported that the UK government in April put on hold its deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, and that Trump said in February the deal was a “big mistake.”

The Guardian reported that previous legislation to hand the islands to Mauritius were shelved in April after the US removed its support of the deal, and that the latest plan was put forth by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and brought to Trump.

The Guardian also said some officials in the Trump administration were concerned about giving the island to Mauritius, an ally of China, opening up the possibility of espionage, while the UK spokesperson insisted maintaining long-term operational control and security of Diego Garcia is the basis for the UK-Mauritius Agreement.