US considers buying Chagos Islands: report

According to the Telegraph, the White House is considering a plan to purchase the Chagos Islands from Mauritius.

The report stated that US officials are preparing a proposal to bypass the UK and make their own deal to take control of the US-UK Diego Garcia air base.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The White House and the UK Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report said the plan was among several options drawn up by the White House in a document aimed at offering alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s transfer of sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius.

The report stated that US President Donald Trump’s administration is in regular talks with the British government about securing the future of Diego Garcia.

The British government suspended the agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia air base, which was criticized by Trump, in April.

Trump said in February that the deal was a “big mistake.”