{"id":78018,"date":"2026-06-07T14:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/white-house-exploring-purchase-of-chagos-islands-to-secure-military-base\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T14:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:23:13","slug":"white-house-exploring-purchase-of-chagos-islands-to-secure-military-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/white-house-exploring-purchase-of-chagos-islands-to-secure-military-base\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Exploring Purchase of Chagos Islands to Secure Military Base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

The White House is exploring a proposal to purchase the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius, according to a report from the Telegraph published Sunday.<\/p>

American officials have reportedly developed a plan that would circumvent the U.K. and establish a direct agreement to secure control of Diego Garcia, the report stated.<\/p>

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the Telegraph’s reporting. Both the White House and the UK Foreign Office did not provide immediate responses when asked for comment.<\/p>

According to the report, this purchasing proposal represents one of multiple options being developed by the White House in a document designed to offer alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer transferring sovereignty of the Indian Ocean island chain to Mauritius.<\/p>

The Telegraph also reported that the White House has maintained ongoing conversations with Downing Street regarding the future security of Diego Garcia.<\/p>

In April, Britain’s government suspended its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, which houses the joint U.S.-British Diego Garcia military installation that has faced criticism from Trump.<\/p>

In February, Trump characterized the deal as a “big mistake.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The White House is reportedly considering a proposal to purchase the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius, bypassing Britain in negotiations. The move would secure control of the strategically important Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":78017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780856592755.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-kim","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50514,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/britain-suspends-chagos-islands-transfer-following-trump-administration-pushback\/","url_meta":{"origin":78018,"position":0},"title":"Britain Suspends Chagos Islands Transfer Following Trump Administration Pushback","author":"Admin","date":"April 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United Kingdom has temporarily halted its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after facing criticism from President Trump. The islands house the strategically important Diego Garcia military base used by both American and British forces.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775899343456.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50542,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/britain-freezes-island-transfer-deal-after-trump-opposition\/","url_meta":{"origin":78018,"position":1},"title":"Britain Freezes Island Transfer Deal After Trump Opposition","author":"Admin","date":"April 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United Kingdom has suspended its agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after President Trump withdrew U.S. support for the deal. The islands house a crucial joint military base that has been used for operations from Vietnam to recent conflicts in the Middle East.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775907399082.jpg?fit=1000%2C773&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775907399082.jpg?fit=1000%2C773&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775907399082.jpg?fit=1000%2C773&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775907399082.jpg?fit=1000%2C773&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22999,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/uk-orders-removal-of-four-chagossians-who-landed-on-remote-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":78018,"position":2},"title":"UK Orders Removal of Four Chagossians Who Landed on Remote Island","author":"Admin","date":"February 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"British officials have ordered the removal of four Chagossians who arrived this week on a remote island in the Chagos Archipelago, attempting to establish a permanent settlement. The move comes as Britain prepares to transfer the territory to Mauritius under a 2025 agreement while keeping control of a key military\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771489034792.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23880,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/british-foreign-minister-to-meet-rubio-as-trump-slams-island-base-deal\/","url_meta":{"origin":78018,"position":3},"title":"British Foreign Minister to Meet Rubio as Trump Slams Island Base Deal","author":"Admin","date":"February 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain's foreign minister will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio Friday amid growing tensions over a controversial agreement involving a strategic military base. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Britain's decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands while maintaining control of the Diego Garcia air base through a 99-year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771589882398.jpg?fit=450%2C299&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22421,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/displaced-islanders-return-to-remote-atoll-to-challenge-britain-mauritius-agreement\/","url_meta":{"origin":78018,"position":4},"title":"Displaced Islanders Return to Remote Atoll to Challenge Britain-Mauritius Agreement","author":"Admin","date":"February 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Four Chagossians have established a settlement on a remote Indian Ocean atoll, attempting to disrupt a planned transfer of the Chagos Islands from Britain to Mauritius. 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