Trump u-turned on Chagos ‘as a result of UK hasn’t agreed’ to him launching Iran strikes from Britain

Trump alluded to plans to strike Iran from the UK/US airfield in Diego Garcia, as well as from RAF Fairford, a US Air Force base in Gloucestershire in a Truth Social post

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Donald Trump’s U-turn on the Chagos Islands deal was prompted by the UK not agreeing to let him launch strikes on Iran from British bases, it has been claimed.

In a Truth Social post last night, Trump alluded to plans to strike Iran from the UK/US airfield in Diego Garcia, as well as from RAF Fairford, a US Air Force base in Gloucestershire.

The UK Government would need to give permission for any strikes to be launched from either base – and according to the Times, they have yet to do so, due to concerns that it would be a breach of international law.

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Withdrawing his support for the deal in a social media post last night, Trump said the bases could be needed if Iran will not agree a nuclear deal.

“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” he said.

“An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries.”

RAF Fairford is the US Air Force’s only European airfield for heavy bombers.

It is also used by the US to launch surveillance flights. While owned by the Ministry of Defence and designated an RAF station, it is operated and used by the US Department of Defence, who have three squadrons garrisoned there.

It is the latest development in a long-running saga as the 79-year-old US leader appears confused about his position. Trump wrote: “I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that leases are no good when it comes to countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 year lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ right, title and interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean.”

Trump’s abrupt about-face came just hours after the US State Department confirmed the deal still had the backing of the Trump administration.

Announcing the US was to have its own round of talks with Mauritius next week, a statement issued yesterday morning (WED) read: “The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago.”

Asked whether this was, in fact, a change of policy, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The post should be taken as the policy of the Trump administration. It’s coming straight from the horse’s mouth. If you see it on Truth Social you know it’s come directly from President Trump.

“That’s the beauty of this President and his transparency in relaying this administration’s policies to you and the rest of the world.”

Earlier this month Trump backed down after branding the handover of the Islands as an “act of great stupidity”. He later admitted the agreement was “the best he (Keir Starmer) could make.”

Under the deal, the UK is ceding sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius after two centuries under British control, and then entering a 99-year-lease for the largest island, Diego Garcia, which houses a strategic US-UK military base. The agreement to lease back Diego Garcia is expected to cost the UK £101million a year.

In his latest post, Trump claimed that the UK “is losing control of this important island by claims of entities never known of before”. He continued: “In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature.” He went on to say that the base on Diego Garcia might be needed to mount an attack on Iran.

The agreement would see the existing base continue to operate. The US President went on: “This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally.

“We will always be ready, willing and able to fight for the UK, but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”

Speaking to reporters last month, Mr Starmer said the Chagos deal had been raised with the White House several times since the President’s outburst. The PM said US intelligence services had signed off on the agreement before it went ahead.

He said: “The position, as you know, is that when the Trump administration came in, we paused for three months to give them time to consider the Chagos deal, which they did at agency level. And once they’d done that, they were very clear in the pronouncements about the fact that they supported the deal.”

He also pointed to supportive comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. Asked if Mr Trump understands the deal, he said: “As I say there was a three month pause whilst his administration looked in detail at an agency level, because obviously this is about security and intelligence, and so it was an agency review that was conducted in the US before they then concluded that it was a deal they wanted to support, did support and did so in very clear terms.”