Yesterday morning, Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, a US official instructed NCS.
Diego Garcia is a part of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago greater than 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) northeast of Mauritius. The UK took over the islands together with Mauritius in 1814 after the defeat of Napoleon.
In 1965, the UK indifferent the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, which turned unbiased three years later. In change for detaching the islands, Britain gave Mauritius £3 million and “committed to return the islands when they were no longer required for defense purposes,” in line with a 2025 House of Lords briefing.
In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to sentence the UK’s occupation of the Chagos Islands. More than 5 years later, London stated it will hand over sovereignty of the archipelago.
Under the phrases of a treaty, as soon as it offers the islands up, the UK can pay Mauritius $136 million every year for a 99-year lease on the military base at Diego Garcia, that means the UK and US can nonetheless use the power.
US President Donald Trump has accused the United Kingdom of “great stupidity” over its plan handy over possession, and earlier this month berated London for denying the US permission to make use of British military bases in the islands for offensive strikes towards Iran.
Diego Garcia has helped to launch two invasions of Iraq, served as an important touchdown spot for bombers that fly missions throughout Asia, together with over the South China Sea, and has been linked to US rendition efforts.
NCS’s Jenni Marsh, Christian Edwards, Zachary Cohen, Laura Sharman and Isaac Yee contributed to this reporting.