WASHINGTON: The White House is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.
US officials have drawn up a proposal to bypass the UK and make their own deal to take control of Diego Garcia, the report said.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The White House and the UK Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The plan is among several options being drafted by the White House, in a paper aimed at providing alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ceding sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, the report said.
The White House has been in regular discussions with Downing Street about securing the future of Diego Garcia, the report added.
Britain’s government in April put on hold its deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, home to the US-British Diego Garcia air base, which has been criticised by Trump.
Trump said in February the deal was a “big mistake”.
The island, however, would first have to be made sovereign, allowing the US to negotiate its purchase with Mauritius directly, the Telegraph reported. Previous legislation to hand the islands to Mauritius were shelved in April after the US removed its support of the deal.
Purchasing the islands is one of several proposals being considered by the US, the Telegraph reported. The latest plan was put forth by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and brought to Trump, though it allegedly is not a leading option. Some officials in the Trump administration were concerned about giving the island to Mauritius, an ally of China, opening up the possibility of espionage, the Telegraph reported.
Discussions for the US to potentially purchase the Chagos Islands come amid the US-Israel war with Iran that has been ongoing since the end of February. The Diego Garcia base, located in the central Indian Ocean, is about 2,360 miles from Iran and includes an airbase that can handle US long-range missiles.
