Trump says UK’s Starmer making ‘a big mistake’ with Chagos Islands deal

Al JazeeraEN 2 min read 100% complete February 18, 2026 at 10:40 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

In February 2026, former US President Donald Trump criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite the US State Department's approval of the deal. Trump stated Starmer was making a "big mistake" regarding the agreement to return sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia, home to a UK-US military base. He suggested the base on Diego Garcia might be needed to respond to a potential attack from Iran. The UK detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1814 and later worked with the US to establish the military base, displacing the islands' residents. While Mauritius won its legal battle for sovereignty in 2019, the UK will maintain a 99-year lease of Diego Garcia.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Iran 50% UN 50% Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 60% International Court of Justice (ICJ) 60% Keir Starmer ×280% United States ×480% Mauritius ×385% United Kingdom ×690% Donald Trump ×290% Chagos Islands ×295% Diego Garcia ×495%

Keywords

chagos islands 100% diego garcia 90% uk-us military base 80% sovereignty 70% mauritius 70% keir starmer 60% lease agreement 50% international relations 50% military base 40% security 40%