The US White House is considering a plan to directly purchase the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, bypassing the UK, to maintain control over the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. This option is one of several under review to offer alternatives to the UK ceding sovereignty of the island group to Mauritius [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Diego Garcia serves as a key strategic base for US and UK military operations. It has supported strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan and is critical to US national security given its location approximately 2,360 miles from Iran, allowing regional military capabilities [1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 6, 11, 7, 8]. A US official said, "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" [4].
The UK and Mauritius signed an agreement in May 2025 to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while allowing the UK and US to lease and control the military base for 99 years [4, 6, 7]. A UK government spokesperson said the agreement aims to "maintain long-term operational control and security of Diego Garcia," which has protected shared security "for nearly 60 years" [3].
However, the deal was put on hold in April 2026 amid US opposition and delays in completing necessary steps. The US fears Mauritius’s diplomatic ties with China and Iran could risk security around the base, including potential espionage [1, 4, 6, 11, 7]. President Trump publicly denounced the transfer as a "big mistake," criticizing the UK for ceding control of Diego Garcia and saying, "I’m very disappointed that the UK stopped me from using Diego Garcia to strike Iran" [1, 3, 11, 7]. A US official said, "President Trump has been consistent in his position that the United Kingdom should not give away the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes our joint US-UK military facility on the Diego Garcia atoll" [3].
The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965 under British colonial rule, with Diego Garcia leased to the US in 1966. This led to the forced displacement of local inhabitants, who continue to advocate for their rights to return. Louis Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, said, "There is not a real will for the British government to find a solution for our people. We need to find a way. We have the right to live in our birthplace" [2].
The US and UK remain in ongoing discussions to secure the future of Diego Garcia and preserve its strategic viability as a regional security platform [1, 3, 9, 6, 11, 7]. The exploration of buying the islands from Mauritius aims to address these concerns while foreclosing sovereignty transfer risks.
Reports of the US consideration to buy the islands surfaced on June 7, 2026, and talks are continuing amid the wider context of heightened tension in the US-Israel war with Iran, where Diego Garcia plays a crucial military role within striking distance [1, 2, 3, 4].
