The aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) and the destroyer USS Scott (DDG-995) at the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands
The White House is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands, an option that could scuttle British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius.
North American officials drew up a proposal to bypass the United Kingdom and close their own agreement to take control of Diego Garciathe strategically important British-American military base, at a time of uncertainty about its future, the .
The proposal is part of several options prepared by the administration of Donald Trump in a document intended to present alternatives to the British Prime Minister’s plan, Keir Starmerwhich would hand over control of the islands to Mauritius, an ally of China and Iran.
The White House has been in regular contact with Downing Street about securing Diego Garcia’s future, a US official with knowledge of the conversations told The Telegraph.
Although the purchase of the islands not be the preferred solution from the White House, the idea was raised directly with Scott Bessant, the US Treasury Secretary, who brought the issue to the President’s attention, sources said.
A war in Iran and China’s growing naval power calls for the maintenance of a global network of strategic military bases.
A strategic position of Diego Garcia puts Iran within attack range and allows long-range, 24-hour bomber missions, such as the attack on Tehran with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.
Therefore, senior Trump administration officials fear that handing over control of the waters to Mauritius, an ally of China,open the door to espionage by sea.
In recent months, North American officials have highlighted the importance of the Chagos Islands. Ben Judaha former special adviser to David Lammy when he was foreign secretary, told The Telegraph this year that this air base “has super secret and extremely sensitive facilities which are very important for what the UK can do in the world.”
No price has yet been discussed for the Chagos Islands. The UK initially planned hand over the islands to Mauritius and then pay around £35 billion, around 40.6 million eurosfor 99 years to lease back the military base.
To take control of the islands, Washington would first have to allow the Starmer agreement to move forward and then then negotiate with Mauritius once sovereignty had been transferred.
The American president initially supported the Starme agreementr to hand over the islands, but ultimately chose to stop him after the British Prime Minister refused to allow the US to use Diego Garcia to launch attacks against Iran in the early hours of the war.
