US weighs buying Chagos Islands directly, bypassing UK-Mauritius sovereignty deal
The Telegraph reported, per The Hindu, that the White House is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and take direct control of Diego Garcia, bypassing the UK. The proposal is reportedly one of several options drafted to offer PM Keir Starmer alternatives to ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius. A US official reiterated that President Trump opposes any UK handover, calling Diego Garcia a 'vital and indispensable' installation. Britain put its sovereignty-transfer deal on hold in April after Trump called it a 'big mistake.'
Why it matters
Diego Garcia is one of the most strategically important US military bases in the Indian Ocean, central to operations spanning the Middle East, East Africa and Asia. The proposed UK-Mauritius deal, driven by an ICJ advisory opinion and decades of decolonization pressure, would end British sovereignty over the archipelago; a direct US purchase would mark a dramatic departure that complicates the long-standing Anglo-American basing arrangement and Mauritius's sovereignty claims.