US President Donald Trump stated in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph that he is "very disappointed" with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after the latter initially refused to allow US forces to use the military base on Diego Garcia for operations against Iran.
Trump said such a rejection "has probably never happened before between our countries," adding that Starmer seemed concerned about the legality of the action. According to him, the base should have been made available to the US immediately.
Britain had initially denied permission for the use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, citing international law. However, late on Sunday, Starmer partially backed down, allowing the use of Diego Garcia for “specific and limited defensive purposes.”
The dispute also affected the Chagos Islands issue. Trump withdrew support for London's plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, demanding that the military base remain operational for the US on lease.
British-owned Diego Garcia is located about 2,400 miles off the southern coast of Iran. Its location puts it out of range of Iranian ballistic missiles but within operational range of US B-2 bombers, making it strategically important for operations in the region.
According to The Telegraph, the Pentagon requested the use of British bases to strike Iranian missile capabilities at a time when Iran was launching missiles and drones at targets in Israel and the Persian Gulf countries.
Meanwhile, Britain is facing an emergency situation in the region. At least 94,000 British citizens in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries have registered with the Foreign Office for a possible evacuation, in what could be one of the largest operations of its kind since World War II.
