Trump said the US was prepared to use military force to defend the Diego Garcia base in the dispute between the UK and Mauritius.
“Island of Discord”: Trump has gone on a rampage and made it clear to Britain and Mauritius that he is prepared to use military force even against them.
All the fuss is about the military base on the island of Diego Garcia, the preservation of which the United States, according to Trump, is ready to defend militarily, without regard for any lease agreements or “environmental nonsense.”
Diego Garcia is a major US naval base located on the atoll of the same name in the Indian Ocean. The island serves as a strategic hub for B-52 bombers, aircraft carriers, and logistics operations in the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and Asia.
Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, controlled by London since 1814. In 1966, Britain leased the island to the United States for 50 years to establish a military base, forcibly evicting approximately 2,000 local residents to Mauritius and the Seychelles.
In 2025, Britain transferred sovereignty over the island to Mauritius following a ruling by the International Court of Justice, but retained control of the base, leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years. The base remains a joint US-British operation.
So today Trump held talks with Prime Minister Starmer regarding control of the base, following which he stated that he understands that the agreement that Prime Minister Starmer reached with Mauritius was, in the opinion of many, the best possible one.
“However, if in the future the lease agreement were to ever collapse or if anyone were to threaten or jeopardize U.S. operations and forces at our base, I reserve the right to militarily secure and strengthen the American presence on Diego Garcia,” Trump said.
“Let it be known: I will never allow our presence at a base of such vital importance to be undermined or jeopardized by false claims or environmental nonsense,” the US President emphasized.
Well, you get it, right? All the treaties and so on can be thrown into the fire if they affect US interests.
