Murat SofuogluThe Chagos Islands, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, far from both East Africa and South Asia, have attracted renewed global attention since reports emerged that the Diego Garcia military base was struck by Iranian missiles in late March.
The Diego Garcia base, which hosts significant military assets ranging from B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers to reconnaissance aircraft, transport planes and radar installations, has been jointly operated by the UK and the US since the 1960s and serves as a key hub for regional military operations.
Following the alleged attack, which Iran denied carrying out and instead described as a false-flag operation, President Donald Trump's interest in acquiring the Chagos Islands appears to have intensified despite Britain's recent plans to transfer sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius.
"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,” a US official recently told Reuters.
The Chagos Islands were designated the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965, following separation from Mauritius, then a British colony.
The move came amid secret US-UK negotiations to establish military facilities on Diego Garcia during the Cold War, a process that led to the forced removal of much of the native population from the islands.
In recent years, Mauritius has sought the return of the Chagos Islands, arguing that the archipelago remains part of its territory under international law.
The United Nations and many members of the displaced Chagossian community have backed Mauritius's claim, further complicating Trump's desire to acquire the strategically important island chain.
Like Greenland, which remains under Danish sovereignty, the Chagos Islands have a complex legal status rooted in British colonial rule. Britain created the British Indian Ocean Territory by separating the islands from Mauritius, a move intended to facilitate US military access to the Indian Ocean via the Diego Garcia base.
“The US could technically purchase them - but only if Mauritius were to agree. Britain cannot sell the islands to the US because everyone knows that London isn’t the lawful owner,” Peter Harris, an associate professor of political science at Colorado State University, tells TRT World.
“So the UK and US would first have to acknowledge Mauritian sovereignty, and then Mauritius could sell the islands (or just Diego Garcia) to the US. It would have to be done via a treaty between the US and Mauritius.
“It is important to emphasise, though, that there is no indication yet that Mauritius would be interested in selling,” Harris says.
The Chagossian diaspora remains divided on whether the islands should remain under British control or be returned to Mauritius. Most Chagossians live in Mauritius, with smaller communities in Seychelles and the UK.
“Most of them located in Mauritius support Mauritian sovereignty because it would be a gateway to them resettling the islands. I’m not aware of any Chagossians who support US sovereignty of their islands,” Harris says.
Harris also points out that, from a cost-benefit perspective, purchasing the islands may not be an attractive option for Washington.
Such a move could cost US taxpayers billions, he says, while Britain’s sovereignty transfer agreement with Mauritius already secures London continued access to Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease arrangement.
Under the plan, the UK would lease Diego Garcia from Mauritius while continuing to allow US military operations at the base. Britain would pay Mauritius for the lease, while the US would retain access to the facility.
However, Trump has opposed the plan, even though it would not impose any direct financial costs on Washington.
Edward Erickson, a retired professor of military history at the Department of War Studies at Marine Corps University, believes Britain may be willing to accommodate the Trump administration if Washington seeks to acquire Diego Garcia permanently.
But he sees various pitfalls to this happening.
“If the US purchases Diego Garcia outright, it will certainly anger the former residents of the island who were expelled and might wish to return. So it would probably become a cause celebre for anti-American sentiment in Mauritius, which would benefit China,” Erickson tells TRT World.
China has expanded its commercial and military presence in the Indian Ocean in recent years, prompting concerns among regional powers such as India and France, which operate two of the region's leading naval forces, according to some experts.
Some analysts also argue that Beijing could gain greater influence over Mauritius if Mauritius secures sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.
Harris, however, dismisses the narrative about China's influence as “completely baseless” and “a smear meant to undermine the case for an agreement of any sort” between the UK and Mauritius.
Mauritius does not have “close connections to China”, he says, pointing instead to the country's growing ties with India, which is currently developing military facilities in Mauritius.
“That’s a myth,” Harris says.
Why do the Chagos Islands matter?
The region's strategic importance was highlighted by the alleged Iranian attack on Diego Garcia.
But long before that incident, the island chain, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, played a critical role in US military operations across the Indian Ocean, which connects to the oil-rich Gulf region via the Strait of Hormuz.
Initially, US planners believed that if any blockade prevented access to the Bab al Mandab Strait, a key route linking the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, or the Malacca Strait near the South China Sea, Diego Garcia—about 3000 km from both—could be crucial in responding to potential conflicts.
Back in the 1960s, US strategists believed that Diego Garcia “would allow the US military to project power across the ocean, deter adversaries and reassure allies”, according to Nitya Labh, a Schwarzman Academy Fellow in the International Security Programme at Chatham House.
Erickson, who is also a former US Army officer, agrees with this assessment.
“It is our only base in the Indian Ocean area capable of launching heavy bombers like the B-1 and the B-2. Our heavy bombers are the only aircraft that can carry the oversized bunker buster bomb (like the kind we used to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities),” he tells TRT World.
“The air base on Diego Garcia provides the US with more options and global reach,” Erickson says, referring to the strategic depth of the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to Iran and the Pacific region.
