President Donald Trump, again changing his tone, warned Britain on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) not to “give away” a key Indian Ocean base, saying it would be vital if the United States attacked Iran.
Mr. considering strikes on the Islamic Republic. Trump lashed out hours after the State Department offered fresh US support for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Under the deal, Britain would pay for a joint US-UK base at Diego Garcia in exchange for a lease for a century.
“Prime Minister Stormer should not, for whatever reason, lose control of Diego Garcia, short of, at best, entering into a 100-year lease,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth social platform.
“This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if allowed to do so, it would pose a threat to our great ally,” he wrote.
“We will always be ready, willing and able to fight for the UK, but they will have to be strong when they put Voicism and other issues in front of them. Don’t give up on Diego Garcia!”
Britain retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence from British colonialism in the 1960s.
Britain has fired thousands of people who have faced legal challenges for compensation.
Mr. Chagos said the claims of people from the Chagos Islands were “fictitious in nature”. Trump said.
Mr. In response to Trump, a spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office said the deal secures the UK-US base and is “vital to the security of the UK and our key allies”.
“The agreement we reached is the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base,” the spokesman said.
Eye on Iran
Mr. Trump’s latest flip appears to have him considering an attack on Iran, where authorities killed thousands in a crackdown on mass demonstrations last month.
Mr. Trump’s envoys held fresh talks with Iran’s top diplomat in Geneva on Tuesday (Feb 17, 2026) and pressed for major concessions, starting with Tehran’s nuclear program.
The United States joined Israel in a bombing campaign against Iran in June, after its ally launched a far-reaching strike that hit nuclear facilities.
“If Iran decides not to make the deal, the United States may need to use Diego Garcia and the airfield at Fairford to deter a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime,” Trump said, referring to the U.S. air base in England.
He said he was worried about a “potential attack on the United Kingdom as well as other friendly countries”.
Just on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the State Department announced three days of talks next week with Mauritius on hosting the Diego Garcia base.
In its statement, the State Department said: “The United States supports the United Kingdom’s decision to maintain its agreement with Mauritius regarding the Chagos Archipelago.”
Asked which statement to believe, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the social media post came directly from Mr Trump and “should be taken as Trump administration policy”.
Mr. When Stormers’ Labor government reached the first deal last year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to hail it as “historic”.
Mr. Trump called it an “act of great stupidity” that showed why the United States needed to conquer Greenland from its ally Denmark.
Mr Trump later said he had agreed to the deal after speaking with Mr Stormer, a position he now appears to have backtracked on.
