Why have the Chagos Islands become so important to US President Trump? | The Global Story

US President Donald Trump has criticised Britain and its prime minister Keir Starmer over the handling of the Chagos Islands.

He criticised Starmer during a press conference where he spoke about how America’s allies have responded to the US-Israel war in Iran.

The president has said the UK should “not give away Diego Garcia”, a key military base for the United States.

The Chagos Islands – officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory – are located in the Indian Ocean about 5,799 miles (9,332km) south-east of the UK, and about 1,250 miles north-east of Mauritius.

Also known as the Chagos Archipelago, there are around 60 individual islands. The islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony.

Asma Khalid speaks to the BBC’s Diplomatic correspondent, James Landale, to find out why President Trump is so obsessed with the British territory.

He talks about the history of the islands, the military significance of the territory and what might happen next.

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:34 Where are the Chagos Islands and why do they matter?
03:00 Why does the UK own the Chagos Islands?
04:00 When did the United States become involved?
05:10 Why is the UK on track to give up the Chagos Islands?
08:22 When did Trump get involved with the Chagos Islands?
12:24 How has Trump’s position evolved?
18:00 How has the US war with Iran changed things?
20:13 Why has Trump fallen out with Keir Starmer?
22:09 What happens next with the Chagos Islands?