Trump Issues Warning to UK Over Diego Garcia
"Should Iran decide not to make a deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The US president framed the stakes in broad terms, warning that any such attack could extend to Britain and other allied nations. He directed sharp criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a recently signed lease arrangement, arguing that such agreements are fundamentally ill-suited to matters of national sovereignty.
"Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease," Trump wrote.
Trump went further, accusing unnamed entities of advancing dubious territorial claims over the Indian Ocean island. "This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally," he said, characterizing those claims as fictitious.
While affirming America's unwavering commitment to Britain's defense, Trump coupled that assurance with a direct challenge, insisting the UK hold firm "in the face of wokeism, and other problems put before them."
His closing message was unambiguous: "Do not give away Diego Garcia."
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt swiftly moved to elevate the remarks beyond a social media post, stating that Trump's message "should be taken as the policy of the" Trump administration.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, has anchored a joint UK-US military installation since the 1970s. Under a treaty finalized in May, sovereignty over the archipelago is set to transfer to Mauritius, though the agreement stipulates that the military base will remain under British administration for a minimum of 99 years.
The warning lands at a particularly volatile moment. US-Iran tensions have been climbing steadily, with Washington significantly expanding its military footprint across the Middle East as negotiations continue. Trump came close to ordering a fresh strike against Tehran in January following the regime's suppression of domestic protests, pulling back only after Iran halted the execution of demonstrators.
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