Iran war proves Diego Garcia is integral to U.S. security, Chagossian official says

The ongoing conflict with Iran has thrust the remote Indian Ocean military base of Diego Garcia into a critical role for U.S. military operations, according to James Tumbridge, an international lawyer serving as attorney general for the self-described Chagossian government-in-exile. Tumbridge stated on Sunday that the war has demonstrated the base's integral importance to regional security for the U.K., U.S., and their allies. The Pentagon was forced to shift its logistics operations to Diego Garcia after an Iranian strike hit a major American military installation in Bahrain, an event Tumbridge described as an inconvenience that nonetheless highlights the base's value. He expressed hope that this development would lead then-President Trump to continue opposing a proposed sovereignty handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The strategic pivot to Diego Garcia occurred amid a complex geopolitical backdrop involving a treaty signed in 2025 between the U.K. and Mauritius. This agreement would recognize Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago while allowing the U.K. to retain control of Diego Garcia for an initial 99-year period. However, the British government later put the treaty's implementation on hold due to renewed concerns from the United States regarding the sovereignty transfer. Tumbridge's comments directly reference this situation, arguing that the U.S. would not want to seek permission from a third country to use a base so vital to its operations. Reports from June indicated that U.S. officials had even drafted a proposal to bypass Britain entirely and negotiate a deal to take direct control of Diego Garcia, an alternative to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan.

The military utility of Diego Garcia was further demonstrated by specific operational details. The U.K. government, after initially withholding approval for offensive strikes, permitted the U.S. to use the base for limited defensive operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities in March. This decision followed attacks on Cyprus. The base itself became a direct, though unsuccessful, target when Iran fired missiles at it, with one failing in flight and a U.S. warship intercepting another. Tumbridge dismissed the idea that Iran would target the archipelago's outer islands, which have a negligible population. The logistical strain on U.S. forces was evident as the USS Abraham Lincoln approached nine months of continuous deployment in the region, a fact confirmed by Trump when questioned about the carrier's status.

The debate over the Chagos Islands' future is deeply contentious. The first minister of the Chagossian government-in-exile previously stated the islands were not for sale or theft, though he understood Trump's desire to secure the military base. Tumbridge elaborated on the legal complexities, asserting that only the U.K. can sell the islands as the current owner, and Mauritius could only sell them if the U.K. first transferred sovereignty. He argued that a sale is not in the U.K.'s interest and does not resolve the underlying sovereignty disputes. The situation underscores a multi-layered conflict involving U.S. military necessity, British colonial legacy, Mauritian territorial claims, and the rights of the displaced Chagossian people, all intensified by the immediate pressures of the Iran war.