After Trump's Criticism, the UK Cancels Plan to Transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius

"We have always said that we would only proceed with the deal if it was supported by the US," said a government representative.

The bill for the transfer of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius has expired, and, according to the BBC citing British officials, a new bill regarding the Chagos Islands will not be introduced.

In January, Trump expressed outrage at London's "great stupidity" regarding this deal. The largest island of the archipelago, Diego Garcia Atoll, hosts a strategically important US Air Force base.

In May of last year, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius while retaining the right to lease Diego Garcia.

Trump supported the agreement after it was signed, but in January he began to sharply criticize it in comments on "Truth Social."

Diego Garcia was one of two bases that the UK allowed the US to use for "defensive operations" in the war against Iran.

The agreement stipulated that the UK would relinquish sovereignty over the islands in favor of Mauritius but would lease the military base located there for 99 years. The Trump administration, which was consulted on this agreement, had previously given its approval for the deal.

In 1965, the UK decided to separate the islands from its then-colony Mauritius and establish a military base there, which it leased to the United States. During the construction of the base on Diego Garcia Atoll from 1968 to 1973, about 2,000 indigenous people from the Chagos archipelago were relocated to the UK, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.

Since gaining independence in 1968, Mauritius has claimed the Chagos archipelago. In 2019, the UN International Court recommended that the UK relinquish control over the Chagos Islands; however, London did not comply with this ruling.

Negotiations about the future of the islands between the countries began in 2022.