June 7 - U.S. officials have drawn up a proposal to purchase the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius, according to a report in the Telegraph. The plan, as described in that account, would allow the United States to strike its own arrangement to take control of Diego Garcia rather than relying on a transfer negotiated through the United Kingdom.
The report says the proposal is one of several options the White House is compiling in a paper intended to present alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer should he move forward with ceding sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. That paper is described as examining different ways to secure continued access to Diego Garcia.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the Telegraph report. Requests for comment sent to the White House and to the UK Foreign Office did not receive an immediate response, the report said.
According to the account, White House officials have held regular discussions with Downing Street about arrangements to protect the future of Diego Garcia. The atoll is home to the U.S.-British Diego Garcia air base, a fact noted in the reporting.
Britain's government in April placed on hold a previously announced deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. That earlier agreement has drawn public criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who in February described the deal as a "big mistake," according to the report.
Context and implications in brief
The account frames the purchase proposal as an option among multiple White House-drafted measures aimed at ensuring control or continued access to Diego Garcia, while decisions by the U.K. government and political commentary by former U.S. officials have added layers of uncertainty to how the situation could unfold.
Reporting limitations
The details above reflect the claims made in the Telegraph report and the follow-up notes indicating that independent confirmation was not immediately available and that the principal governments named had not promptly responded to requests for comment.