Trump would like to buy a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. The reason related to the war in Iran
US President Donald Trump is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, in the context of Great Britain's plans to cede sovereignty over the territory are blocked, sources quoted by the international press informed.
Trump is preparing a plan to buy the Chagos Islands PHOTO EPA-EFE
According to the proposal circulated, the Trump administration would avoid the involvement of British officials and buy the islands, thus ensuring control over the American-British military base Diego Garcia, The Guardian reports.
However, the island would first have to acquire sovereign status, which would allow the US to directly negotiate the purchase with Mauritius, writes The Telegraph. Previous draft legislation to transfer the islands to Mauritius was abandoned in April after the US withdrew its support for the deal.
Tensions over the future of the Chagos Islands
The acquisition of the islands is only one of several options being considered by the US. The latest plan was reportedly proposed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and presented to Trump, but according to emerging information, it is not the primary option. Some officials in the Trump administration would have expressed concern that handing over the island to Mauritius, an ally of China, could pave the way for espionage activities, notes the British publication.
Chagos Islands PHOTO Shutterstock
A delegation of Chagos refugees in Britain last week said the subject was “confiscated behind the scenes” British politics.
The six members of the Chagos Refugee Group have expressed their full support for the UK to finalize an agreement on the future of the islands. “The most important thing is our rights”said Louis Olivier Bancoult, the leader of the delegation, on Friday.
“There is no real will from the British Government to find a solution for our people. We have to find a way”he added. “We are still suffering, and our position is clear: we have the right to live in the place where we were born.”
The limits of Donald Trump's power are becoming more visible. Congress and the courts echo the White House leader's “aura of omnipotence.”
Strategic importance in the context of the Iran war
Talks of a possible US acquisition of the Chagos Islands come amid the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran since late February. The Diego Garcia base, located in the central Indian Ocean, is about 3,800 kilometers from Iran and includes an air base capable of handling long-range US missiles.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran has already launched several attacks on the joint base. One such attack, produced at the end of March, was intercepted by an American warship.
In March, Britain allowed the US to launch missiles from the joint base against Iranian launchers as the conflict continued. Trump previously criticized this decision, calling it right “very late” and arguing that British officials should have approved the measure sooner.
Diego Garcia base
In a post on social media, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, warned Keir Starmer that “puts British lives at risk by allowing British bases to be used for aggression against Iran”.
A UK Government spokesman said: “The Government inherited a situation where the UK's control of the military base on Diego Garcia was under threat and intervention was required to protect the UK's national interests and prevent our adversaries from gaining a foothold in such a strategically important location.
Diego Garcia is a critical strategic military asset for both the United Kingdom and the United States and has contributed to our shared security for nearly 60 years. Maintaining operational control and long-term security over Diego Garcia is the foundation of the entire UK-Mauritius agreement — an agreement that results from the real, long-term risks that threaten the base, of which both the UK and the US are fully aware.”
Asked whether the UK would go ahead with the surrender agreement if the US objected, a government source said: “We have always made it clear that we will not move forward without US support.”
