US considering plan to buy Chagos Islands from Mauritius, Telegraph reports

The United States is considering a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, according to a report in the Telegraph newspaper. 

The Chagos are a British Overseas Territory and include the island of Diego Garcia, home to a joint US-UK airbase and a key strategic military asset.  

Britain has said it will cede sovereignty to Mauritius, in accordance with a number of recent international rulings. Under the agreement, the UK would then lease the island and maintain control of the base for 99 years. 

The rumored US plan would see Washington bypass Britain and make their own deal to buy Diego Garcia once it’s made sovereign.  

The Trump Administration is reportedly concerned about ties Mauritius has to China and Iran, raising the possibility of spying.

Talks on the possible deal come amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Located in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia is a critical overseas base for the US and serves as a hub for bombing operations, naval deployments, and intelligence missions.

Iran has launched missiles against the base since the start of the war. It also issued a warning to London after the UK gave America permission to launch strikes on Iranian missile launchers from Diego Garcia.