Why Donald Trump said: “Do not give away Diego Garcia” Trump framed the planned handover as a strategic error and a political embarrassment for the United Kingdom, casting it as an unnecessary concession that could undermine a close ally. “Do not give away Diego Garcia,” he wrote, criticising the UK’s plan to cede sovereignty and lease back the base. Why Diego Garcia matters to the US and UK Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago, hosts one of the most important military facilities in the Indian Ocean. Trump also tied Diego Garcia to potential military escalation with Iran, invoking ongoing talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme. In the late 1960s, Britain invited the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia, forcibly removing thousands of Chagossians from their homes in the process.

Source: Mint February 19, 2026 04:20 UTC