According to reports, U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a plan to acquire the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, amid delays by the UK in transferring sovereignty of the territory. This information was first published by the British newspaper The Telegraph on Sunday and has been picked up by several news outlets, including Reuters.

The report states that U.S. officials have drafted a proposal to bypass the UK and negotiate directly to take control of Diego Garcia, which has served as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s.

The Telegraph indicated that this plan was among several options being developed by the White House, intended as alternatives to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ceding sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius.

In May 2025, the UK had agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, ending over 200 years of British rule, while allowing the U.S. and UK to continue operating the strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.

However, the UK decided in April to abandon this plan following opposition from Trump, who called the agreement a “big mistake” in February.

The proposal to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is also opposed by the Maldivian government, led by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. They argue that the Maldives has historical claims to the archipelago dating back centuries and is geographically closer to the islands than Mauritius.

In February, Mauritius suspended all political relations with the Maldives over its stance on Chagos. A month later, the Maldivian government announced it was pursuing a formal case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to oppose the deal transferring the islands.