Accusing Starmer of making a \u201cbig mistake,\u201d Trump said the U.K. leader \u201cshould not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warning comes as speculation mounts about possible U.S military action<\/a> against Iran.<\/p>\n Amid heightened tensions, the U.S. has escalated its military buildup in the region. American officials held<\/a> talks in Geneva with Iranian counterparts over Tehran\u2019s nuclear program earlier this week, but they remain \u201cvery far apart on some issues,\u201d according<\/a> to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.<\/p>\n TIME has contacted the White House for further comment.<\/p>\n The Chagos Islands became British territory in 1814, when they were ceded to the U.K. along with Mauritius. The islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony, and were purchased<\/a> as an overseas territory by the U.K. for roughly \u00a33 million ($4 million). Since Mauritius gained independence from the U.K. in 1968, its leadership has argued it was illegally forced to give away the land in order to get independence from Britain. Under a deal<\/a> signed last year, the U.K. agreed to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while leasing back the strategically-significant Diego Garcia base.<\/p>\n \u201cStarmer is losing control of this important island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature,\u201d Trump said Wednesday, adding that if the deal is, in fact, followed through, it\u2019ll be a \u201cblight\u201d on the U.K.<\/p>\n In response, a spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign Office told TIME: \u201cThe deal to secure the joint U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia is crucial to the security of the U.K. and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe. The agreement we have reached is the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base.\u201d<\/p>\n U.K. lawmaker Alex Davies-Jones on Thursday said the U.K. will move ahead with the bill, despite Trump\u2019s hesitations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to work with our allies, including the Americans, on this but first and foremost the priority must be national security and that is what this government is determined to deliver,\u201d she told Times Radio.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s disapproval of the leasing appears to contradict a statement<\/a> issued by the U.S. State Department on Feb. 17, which directly expressed support for the U.K.\u2019s decision to proceed in its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s personal position on the deal has shifted in recent months.<\/p>\n When Starmer visited<\/a> Washington in February 2025, Trump told him he thought it would \u201cwork out very well\u201d and described the proposed arrangement as \u201ca very long-term, powerful lease.\u201d<\/p>\n But in January, when doubling down on his push to acquire Greenland, he lashed out<\/a> at the U.K.\u2019s own geopolitical moves, calling the islands agreement \u201can act of great stupidity,\u201d one of \u201ctotal weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"UK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771519510_466_.jpeg\"\/)
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27, 2025. Carl Court\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n