February 20, 2026 | 04:50 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - UK has refused to provide its military base to the United States, including the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, the central part of the Indian Ocean, for use in an attack on Iran. This was first reported by The Times on Thursday, citing several sources, as reported by Antara.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the UK regarding the lease agreement of Diego Garcia Island. He stated that the island might be needed to confront "potential attacks" from Iran if nuclear negotiations fail. He urged the UK to "not give up" Diego Garcia, regardless of the previous approval given.
The UK's refusal to provide the base is said to have forced Trump to withdraw his support for the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, according to the report.
However, those familiar with the issue told Bloomberg as reported by NDTV on Thursday, that the UK has not permitted the U.S. to use the base for an attack on Iran, due to concerns related to international law and other considerations.
Diego Garcia was not used in the U.S. attack on Iran last June.
The U.S. plan to attack Iran is said to involve the Diego Garcia base and the RAF Fairford airbase in the UK, which is the location for the placement of U.S. Air Force heavy bomber aircraft.
On Thursday, the UK Foreign Office defended the agreement to hand over the sovereignty of the Diego Garcia military base to Mauritius following objections from Trump. The office reminded that on February 5, Trump told Starmer that the agreement was the best that could be achieved.
On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced that it would hold negotiations with Mauritius on February 23-25 to emphasize the importance of the Diego Garcia military base for U.S. national security.
On October 3, 2024, the UK agreed to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia Island, to Mauritius.
The agreement stipulates that the UK will provide financial support and infrastructure investment to Mauritius, while retaining control of the Diego Garcia airbase for 99 years.
Mauritius has opposed UK sovereignty over the Chagos Islands for several decades. However, it was only in 2019 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging the UK to release the islands.
Read: Trump Says Clarity on Iran Deal Will Come in 10 Days
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