LONDON, June 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. officials have drafted a proposal to take control of Diego Garcia, the strategically important island hosting a key U.S.-British military base in the Chagos Archipelago, through a separate agreement with Mauritius, British media reported on Sunday.
The proposal is among several options outlined in a policy paper aimed at providing alternatives to Britain's plan to return control of the islands to Mauritius, The Telegraph reported. According to the newspaper's sources, the proposal has been brought to the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Britain detached the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, then a British colony, in 1965 and leased Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, to the United States the following year for use as a joint U.S.-British military facility.
Under an agreement announced in May 2025, Britain agreed to transfer sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius while leasing back Diego Garcia for 99 years.
After initially welcoming the deal, the United States reportedly reversed its position earlier this year, with Trump describing the transfer as "an act of great stupidity."
Trump also said he was "very disappointed" with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for allegedly preventing him from using the military base on Diego Garcia to carry out strikes on Iran.
In April, British media reported that the British government had shelved legislation to ratify the sovereignty transfer agreement after the United States withdrew its support for the deal.
Also in April, Mauritian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dhananjay Ramful said his country would "spare no effort" to reclaim sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. ■
