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President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. could usage subject unit to unafraid the Diego Garcia aerial basal successful the Chagos Islands if immoderate aboriginal woody threatens entree to the associated U.S.-UK installation.
Trump made the comments Thursday successful a Truth Social station portion besides signaling his willingness to determination past tensions with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer aft what helium described arsenic "very productive discussions," implicit the Indian Ocean base.
Emphasizing the base’s strategical importance, Trump said the relation of Diego Garcia was indispensable to U.S. nationalist security.
UK REOPENS CHAGOS ISLANDS TALKS WITH US FOLLOWING TRUMP CRITICISM OF DEAL: REPORTS
Diego Garcia, the largest land successful the Chagos archipelago and tract of a large United States subject basal successful the mediate of the Indian Ocean, was leased from the UK successful 1966. (reuters)
"It is the tract of a large U.S. subject base, strategically situated successful the mediate of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of large value to the nationalist information of the United States," Trump wrote.
Trump besides acknowledged that the U.K. struck what helium called "the champion woody helium could make" nether the arguable statement to transportation sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius portion leasing Diego Garcia backmost for astatine slightest 99 years.
"However, if the lease deal, sometime successful the future, ever falls apart, oregon anyone threatens oregon endangers U.S. operations and forces astatine our base, I clasp the close to militarily unafraid and reenforce the American beingness successful Diego Garcia," Trump warned.
TRUMP HAILS 'GREAT AND VERY BRAVE' UK SOLDIERS AFTER SLAMMING NATO ALLIES' AFGHANISTAN SERVICE
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump look to determination past tensions astir Diego Garcia subject basal successful the Chagos Islands. (Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)
"Let it beryllium known that I volition ne'er let our beingness connected a basal arsenic important arsenic this to ever beryllium undermined oregon threatened by fake claims oregon biology nonsense," helium added.
The comments marked a flimsy displacement successful code from Trump, who successful January criticized the UK-Mauritius woody arsenic an "act of large stupidity" and an "act of full weakness," accusing Britain of surrendering a captious subject asset.
Diego Garcia serves arsenic a hub for long-range bombers, logistics, quality postulation and subject communications crossed the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Africa, hosting astir 2,500 U.S. and subject and civilian personnel.
The land basal has been utilized for long-range U.S. operations specified arsenic successful Afghanistan and successful Yemen.
According to Reuters, Downing Street had confirmed Trump and Starmer discussed Diego Garcia during a caller telephone and agreed to safeguard the base’s continued operation.
UK REOPENS CHAGOS ISLANDS TALKS WITH US FOLLOWING TRUMP CRITICISM OF DEAL: REPORTS
Diego Garcia is simply a strategical Indian Ocean basal hosting 2,500 US subject personnel. (Reuters)
"Turning to Diego Garcia, and the woody the UK has secured to support power of the U.S.-UK subject basal to support nationalist security, the leaders recognized its strategical importance," a No. 10 spokeswoman said.
"The leaders agreed their governments would proceed moving intimately to warrant the aboriginal cognition of the basal and talk again soon."
Under the agreement, British taxpayers are projected to wage astir £35 cardinal [$47B] implicit the adjacent century, including yearly payments of astir £160 cardinal [$216M] to Mauritius, per nationalist estimates.
Britain has besides agreed to astir £3 cardinal [$4 billion] successful compensation implicit the beingness of the deal, with an enactment to widen the lease for an further 50 years.
The statement has besides drawn disapproval from Britain’s Conservative Party, which argues the woody weakens the U.K.’s strategical presumption and risks undermining long-standing information ties with the U.S.
TRUMP HAILS 'GREAT AND VERY BRAVE' UK SOLDIERS AFTER SLAMMING NATO ALLIES' AFGHANISTAN SERVICE
Britain’s PM Keir Starmer speaks during a quality league successful London. (Thomas Krych/Pool via Reuters)
Mauritius has said its sovereignty implicit the islands is "unequivocally recognized" nether planetary instrumentality and has called for swift implementation of the agreement.
As antecedently reported by Fox News Digital, a Downing Street spokesperson besides said successful January the U.K. is continuing efforts to "allay immoderate concerns" successful Washington.
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"We volition proceed to prosecute with the U.S. connected this important substance and the value of the woody to unafraid U.S. and U.K. interests," the spokesperson said in
Fox News Digital has reached retired to the White House and Downing Street for comment.
Emma Bussey is simply a breaking quality writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked astatine The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, crossed desks including foreign, politics, news, athletics and culture.
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