Iran war thrusts Diego Garcia into spotlight as official calls US military base ‘integral’

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Iran fires missiles toward US-UK military base

President Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to US airports, sparking debate over DHS funding and airport security.This comes as Iran targets a joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean with intermediate-range ballistic missiles, demonstrating a significant military capability.Experts discuss the Natanz nuclear facility, missile production, and the need for NATO allies to engage in securing the Strait of Hormuz.

An official with the self-described Chagossian government-in-exile said Sunday that the war with Iran has underscoredDiego Garcia’sstrategic importance to U.S.forces and Middle East regional stability, with the Pentagon shifting logistics to the remote U.K.-U.S.base in the Indian Ocean after an Iranian strike on a major American installation in Bahrain.

The base, in the southern Chagos Archipelago, has reportedly supported carrier strike groups including the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose forces have conducted air operations and helped enforce the blockade of Iranian ports.

The U.S.military’s wartime logistics network now stretches across a roughly 2,200-mile maritime supply route to Diego Garcia, allowing forces to avoid coastal facilities vulnerable to Iranian attacks but requiring longer shuttle runs and slower replenishment, according to The New York Times.

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Diego Garcia is a strategic Indian Ocean base hosting 2,500 US military personnel.(Reuters)

“The base is integral to regional security for the U.K., U.S.and our allies.This latest news emphasizes it.”

“Bahrain is a far easier target, so the U.S.change of supply arrangement makes sense,” Tumbridge said, adding, “Hopefully the new British PM will not deny the U.S.this change of use.”

“It shows the importance of the base and asking a third country for permission is not what the U.S.will want, and so I hope this means Trump will still oppose the handover,” Tumbridge went on to say, referring to a proposed agreement that would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In 2025, the U.K.and Mauritius signed a treaty that 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.

The British government later put implementation of the agreement on hold amid renewed U.S.concerns over the sovereignty transfer.

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Keir Starmer speaks at the House of Commons

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister’s Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 15, 2023.(UK Parliament/Maria Unger/Handout)

Reports emerged in June that U.S.officials had drafted a proposal to bypass Britain and strike a deal to take control of Diego Garcia, one of several alternatives to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius.

The first minister of the self-described Chagossian government-in-exile responded that month and said theChagos Islands were not for saleor “for stealing either,” but argued that he “can’t blame” Trump for “looking to secure the military base.”

“Trump cannot buy the islands.That suggestion made by some is unhelpful to us all.Only the U.K.can sell the islands, as only the U.K.owns them,” Tumbridge also said on Sunday.

“The arguments over sovereignty do not get fixed via a sale, and Mauritius cannot sell them unless the U.K.first gives them away,” he added.

“It is not in the U.K.’s interest to sell them.Whether we keep them and continue our support for the U.S.base or we cede them to Mauritius is the choice — my desire is the former.”

Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over the archipelago, a position backed by a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice and subsequent U.N.action.

The U.K.government, however, permitted the U.S.to use Diego Garcia for limited defensive operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities in March after initially withholding approval for offensive strikes.

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B-2 bomber at Diego Garcia base in Indian Ocean

A U.S.B-2 Spirit bomber, part of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, stops for refueling at the U.S.military base on Diego Garcia in October 2001, following an airstrike mission over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.(U.S.Department of Defense/Senior Airman Rebeca M.Luquin)

“The U.S.wanted to use Chagos Diego Garcia for air strikes at the very beginning.The U.K.consulted Mauritius and refused — hence Trump finally appreciating why sovereignty transfer was a problem,” Tumbridge said.

“After the attacks on Cyprus, the U.K.allowed certain so-called defense uses, and Iran did fire at Diego Garcia, but they missed.”

On March 20, Reuters reported that Iran had fired twoballistic missilestoward Diego Garcia.

One missile failed in flight, while a U.S.warship fired an interceptor at the other, though it was initially unclear whether the interception succeeded.British officials later said one missile fell short and the other was intercepted.

“No serious concerns have been shared — the earlier attempt showed a lack of range and targeting ability,” Tumbridge said.

“The British Government and the Commissioner for the Territory have already tried to say the last attack makes the islands unsafe.No one seriously believes that Iran would try to target the outer islands that presently only have a population of six people.”

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Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, leased from the UK in 1966.(Reuters)

Thereported U.S.logistical strainsand renewed focus on Diego Garcia came as the USS Abraham Lincoln approached nine months of continuous deployment in the region.

Speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Aug.14, Trump said a new aircraft carrier was heading to theMiddle Eastto replace it.

“That ship is moving,” Trump said when reporters asked about the carrier.

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Meanwhile, Adm.Brad Cooper, commander of U.S.Central Command, also met with service members aboard the carrier, which is expected to be relieved amid concerns raised by families over the extended deployment.