US President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed his dispute with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over what he called the “bomber island,” saying in a post on his Truth Social platform that “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.”
Trump added, “an attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries.”
In a direct appeal to Starmer, Trump wrote 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.” He described US-UK relations as “strong and powerful” but accused Starmer of “losing control of this important Island.”
“This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!” Trump wrote.
(Video: White House spokeswoman)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that there are many reasons a strike on Iran could take place. She added that Trump has consistently maintained diplomacy is the preferred option, that he has treated Iran with respect and that it would be wise for Tehran to reach an agreement with him.
According to Leavitt, Trump views the issue seriously and will act in what he sees as the best interests of the United States, its military and the American people, saying that is how he approaches decisions on any form of military action.
Asked about coordination with Israel, she said she had no details to share about conversations between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She added that the US government remains in close contact with Israel, beginning with Trump and Netanyahu themselves.
At a defense-tech conference hosted this week by ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz warned that Iran could still surprise its adversaries.
“They know they cannot defeat the United States, but they can hurt it and its allies, like us,” Steinitz said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to strike beyond the Middle East — they may try to hit European countries, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna.”
The dispute over the “bomber island” stems from Britain’s plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean — including the US air base on Diego Garcia — to Mauritius. As a result, the island’s future remains uncertain. Last year, about one-third of the US B-2 bomber fleet was deployed there.
“Shockingly, our 'brilliant' NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” Trump wrote last month on Truth Social. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness ... The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” he added.
Diego Garcia is a small island — about 30 square kilometers (12 square miles) — but it is the largest of roughly 60 islands that make up the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean. Since the 1970s, it has hosted a strategic air base leased by the United States from Britain under an agreement currently set to run through at least 2036.
About 2,500 personnel live at the base, most of them American and a minority British, and it holds strategic importance for US operations in the region. It played a key role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it has previously been reported that the CIA operated “black sites” there — secret detention facilities outside the United States where terrorism suspects were subjected to torture.
In April last year, Trump deployed roughly one-third of the US B-2 stealth bomber fleet to the island — aircraft capable of carrying massive bunker-busting munitions — in what was widely seen as a clear warning to Iran. Ultimately, the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites before the end of Operation Rising Lion, but with bombers launched from the United States.