Next after Greenland? Trump eyes direct purchase of Chagos Islands from Mauritius

The Trump administration is reportedly considering purchasing the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius, bypassing the United Kingdom, according to a report by news outlet Telegraph. Under the proposal, put forward by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and brought to President Trump, the islands would first need to be granted sovereignty, enabling Washington to negotiate their purchase with Mauritius independently. The plan is reportedly not among the leading options under consideration. Some administration officials have raised concerns that transferring the territory to Mauritius, regarded as a Chinese ally, could create espionage risks. Earlier legislation to hand the islands to Mauritius was shelved in April after the US withdrew its support.

A delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK last week said the issue had been "hijacked within the halls" of British politics. The six-person contingent from the Chagos Refugees Group expressed full support for the UK to agree on the islands' future. Delegation leader Louis Olivier Bancoult said there was no genuine political will to find a solution, adding that his people retained the right to live in their birthplace.

The deliberations come amid an ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran that began in late February. The Diego Garcia base, located in the central Indian Ocean approximately 3,800km from Iran, hosts an airbase capable of handling long-range US missiles. Iran has launched multiple strikes on the joint base since the conflict began, with one attack in late March intercepted by a US warship. That same month, the UK authorised the US to launch strikes on Iranian missile installations from the base. Trump previously criticised the UK's approval as coming too late, while Iran's foreign minister warned the British prime minister that allowing UK bases to be used for strikes on Iran was putting British lives at risk.

A UK government spokesperson said the government had inherited a situation where control over Diego Garcia was under threat and that action had been required to protect national interests and prevent adversaries from gaining a foothold in a strategically important location. The spokesperson described Diego Garcia as a key military asset that had protected shared UK-US security for nearly 60 years. A government source confirmed the UK would not proceed with any sovereignty agreement without US support.